According to sources, 64 million people suffer from a form of heart failure worldwide. Decreasing this burden has become a major priority in healthcare. However, due to the limited availability of donor hearts, waiting lists are long and many patients never get their turn. For this reason, a Holland Hybrid Heart is being developed: the first artificial organ. The HHH is a soft robotic heart with an inner lining of the patient's own cells. Together the HHH resembles the healthy human heart as closely as possible. This safe alternative to a donor heart is essential to offer a lifesaving solution for thousands of heart failure patients.
This week, a Holland Hybrid Heart consortiumn will be held at DesignLab to brainstorm, design, and prototype various new methods of pumping blood through the human body. Dr. Ali Sadeghi recieved funding for three PhD students for this project.
The stakeholders involved in the Holland Hybrid Heart are: Erasmus MC, Eindhoven University of Technology, AMOLF, University of Twente, Saxion University of Applied Sciences Sustainable & Functional Textiles, Delft University of Technology, Maastricht University, Dutch Heart Foundation, Dutch Cardiovascular Alliance (DCVA), TrailBlazers, EE labels, Evos GmbH, Harteraad, Dutch Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA).
