Nanotechnology-derived hydrogels for cardiac tissue replacement

The national organ transplant waiting list is growing five times faster than the rate of organ donation, indicating a need to provide a more plentiful source of tissue replacements. Furthermore, the national number one cause for human death is heart disease. Because of the high percentage of heart failure and a low number of successful organ donations, studies are now focusing on the design of new generation biomaterials and functional tissue constructs for specialized tissue repair and replacement. Developing such biomaterials requires the fabrication of scaffolds that mimic in vivo extracellular matrices (ECM). The objective of this study was to design a 'smart' biomaterial that mimics conditions in vivo, creating a micro-and nano-environment suitable for healthy cardiac tissue growth and function.