Myocardial infarction (MI), or heart attack, happens as a result of ischaemic heart disease (IHD). Europe has the highest rates of IHD worldwide, equalling almost 26.5 million patients. In the days and weeks following a heart attack, the damaged cells of the heart are replaced by scar tissue. This scarring or ‘remodelling ‘of the heart tissue can cause further dysfunction and complications for the patient.

Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director of CÚRAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices at University of Galway leads the ELR-Scar consortium and recently received the prestigious George Winter Award 2022 from the European Society for Biomaterials. The consortium includes seven industry and academic partners across Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and the Netherlands.

The hydrogel solution being developed by the team is biospecific, which means that its properties or activities vary according to the specific biological molecule it interacts with. It will have enhanced adhesion to cardiac tissue and is made of a degradable biomaterial that would be administered to the patient through an intravenous, endocardial catheter.