Empa - Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide, affecting millions of individuals each year. These conditions, which include heart disease, stroke, and vascular disorders, pose a significant burden on global health systems and drastically impact patients' quality of life. Despite advances in medical technology, challenges such as the availability of biocompatible materials, the long-term durability of treatments, and the risks of complications like blood clots persist in clinical care.

At Empa, we are committed to addressing these challenges through innovative research in cardiovascular tissue engineering, biomaterials, and advanced bioimaging technologies. Our work encompasses:

Developing advanced surgical materials for the closure of septum defects.
Designing vascular grafts for durable and functional replacements.
Investigating the mechanisms of blood clot formation to improve preventive strategies.
Employing cutting-edge bioimaging techniques to visualize and better understand cardiovascular structures and pathologies, enabling more precise diagnostics and targeted therapeutic interventions.

By integrating expertise across these fields, we aim to create transformative solutions that enhance treatment efficacy, improve patient outcomes, and expand our understanding of cardiovascular disease.

Projects

"Swiss Cheese" VSD closure

Among various congenital heart diseases, the so-called “Swiss Cheese” ventricular septal defects (VSD) are characterized by channels of a matrix with multiple entries and exists. Unlike other subtypes of VSD with fewer defects in the septum, the "Swiss Cheese" VSDs are much more difficult to treat. Despite the improvements in the past decades, significant operative complications remain to be overcome with innovative surgical materials. In collaboration with Prof. Dr. med. Hitendu Dave from the University Children’s Hospital & Children’s Research Centre (Zürich, Switzerland), we are developing soft hybrid membranes for surgical repair of “Swiss cheese” VSDs.