Scientists develop sheep-derived heart valve implant

ISTANBUL

Turkish researchers have developed a pioneering heart valve implant for human use made from sheep heart tissue.

The team from Yıldız Technical University, led by Ali Akpek from the Biomedical Engineering Department, aims to provide a safer alternative to the commonly used pig heart valves.

Pig valves, though widely used, carry risks such as disease transmission and require extremely precise purification.

“Even a small error in purifying pig valves can lead to serious complications,” Akpek explained, adding that bioprosthetic heart valves obtained from mechanical and pig heart valves are not very useful in many cases.

The new approach uses sheep valves, which were previously overlooked due to concerns about their biomechanical properties.

By applying advanced tissue engineering and decellularization techniques, the team improved these properties, making the sheep valves viable for human use.

Next, the team plans to move to clinical trials with hopes that the sheep-derived implants will provide a safer and more effective alternative to existing heart valve options.