Self-regulating heart patch combines electronics, living tissue

Tal Dvir and Tel Aviv University colleagues are in the early stages of developing a “bionic” heart patch, made of of electronically-regulated living tissue, that they believe can help the heart beat, and react when malfunction occurs.

The  patch is made of heart muscle cells, biomaterial, and nano-composite fibers that enable the engineered-tissue function to be monitored online. The extracellular matrix connects the cells chemically, mechanically and electrically. The tissue is integrated into a system that includes heart failure-managing algorithms.

The technology, while promising, has only been tested on rats.  It will be tested on pigs next, with the hope of humans to follow.


Wearable Tech + Digital Health San Francisco – April 5, 2016 @ the Mission Bay Conference Center

NeuroTech San Francisco – April 6, 2016 @ the Mission Bay Conference Center

Wearable Tech + Digital Health NYC – June 7, 2016 @ the New York Academy of Sciences

NeuroTech NYC – June 8, 2016 @ the New York Academy of Sciences


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