Using engineered blood vessels to treat heart defects in children
Official title: Readily Available Biological Conduits to Treat Single Ventricle Defects
Funded at Yale University · NIH-10991036 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is working on a new way to help kids with single ventricle heart defects by creating special blood vessels that can grow with them, using safe materials from human umbilical cords, to make their surgeries more successful.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $517,715 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL171984-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10991036 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are children under 11 years old diagnosed with single ventricle congenital heart defects.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with other types of congenital heart defects or those over the age of 11 may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research focuses on developing new biological conduits to treat single ventricle congenital heart defects in children. The approach involves creating tissue-engineered vascular conduits (TEVCs) that can grow and remodel as the child develops, using decellularized human umbilical arteries coated with endothelial cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. By addressing issues of graft stenosis and immunocompatibility, this research aims to improve surgical outcomes for affected children. The study utilizes a validated animal model to test the effectiveness of these conduits before potential clinical application.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could significantly improve the surgical treatment and long-term outcomes for children with single ventricle heart defects.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in using tissue-engineered vascular conduits, but this specific approach with hypoimmunogenic cells is novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Yale University
New Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Qyang, Yibing — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Qyang, Yibing
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Senescent cells in single-ventricle heart disease
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Bioprinted vascular grafts to help children and adults with single-ventricle heart defects
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-
Lipid damage and mitochondria: new ways to protect the Fontan heart
A Stanford-led study aims to find new targets and biomarkers to preserve heart function in children with Fontan circulation by looking at how oxidative stress damages heart cell powerhouses and affects blood vessels.
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Off-the-shelf living blood vessel grafts for children with single-ventricle heart defects
This work is making ready-to-use living blood vessel grafts from donated umbilical arteries and engineered stem-cell lining to help children born with single-ventricle heart defects.
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Investigating how mitochondrial injury affects blood vessel function in children with congenital heart disease.
This study is looking at how heart failure affects children who have had a special heart surgery called the Fontan operation, with the goal of finding new ways to spot heart problems early and improve treatments for them.
-
Digoxin effects in infants with single‑ventricle heart failure
This project looks at how the heart drug digoxin behaves and affects newborns and infants who have heart failure from single‑ventricle congenital heart disease.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.