Scots researchers have discovered that 3D-printed blood vessels could improve outcomes for heart bypass patients.

The University of Edinburgh academics said that, by replacing the human and synthetic veins currently used in surgery with a 3D-printed option to reroute blood flow, there’s potential to limit scarring, pain, and infection risk.

Further, the product could also alleviate the failure of small synthetic grafts, which can be hard to integrate into the human body.

In a two-stage process, a team of researchers led by Edinburgh’s School of Engineering used a rotating spindle integrated into a 3D printer to print tubular grafts made from a water-based gel.

They then reinforced the printed graft in a process known as electrospinning, which uses high voltage to draw out very thin nanofibres, coating the artificial blood vessel in biodegradable polyester molecules.

Subsequent tests showed that resulting products are as strong as natural blood vessels themselves.

The 3D graft can be made in thicknesses from 1 to 40 millimetres in diameter, for a range of applications. The team noted that its flexibility also means that it could easily be integrated into the human body.

The next step of the study will involve researching the use of the blood vessels in animals, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute, followed by trials in humans.

Lead author Dr Faraz Fazal, of the School of Engineering, said: “Our hybrid technique opens up new and exciting possibilities for the fabrication of tubular constructs in tissue engineering.”

Recommended reading

• Scots Research Uses AI to Identify Risk of Dementia, Diabetes, and Heart Disease
• New Scots-led Centre to Develop Tech Tools for Heart Disease Treatment
• Heriot-Watt’s DeepTech LaunchPad Drives Prosthetic Innovation

Principal investor of the research, Dr Norbert Radacsi, also of the School of Engineering, added: “The results from our research address a long-standing challenge in the field of vascular tissue engineering – to produce a conduit that has similar biomechanical properties to that of human veins.

“With continued support and collaboration, the vision of improved treatment options for patients with cardiovascular disease could become a reality.”

The research, published in the materials technology journal Advanced Materials Technologies, was carried out in collaboration with fellow Edinburgh-based university, Heriot-Watt.