Patch could give new life to weak heart (concept animation)

The carbon nanotube mesh was used to mimic the role of the Purkinje network (the heart’s natural conductive network). The ultra-flexible elastin (shown in orange) was interwoven to bridge the rigid carbon nanotube to form a spring-like network and plays a critical role in rendering flexibility to the patch. Gelatin (shown as blue) was added to provide a strong binding affinity with carbon nanotube and to tune the mechanical performance of the scaffolds. The patches have shape-memory behavior that can be deformed and placed inside a syringe for injecting into the cardiac muscle and recovered to its original shape. For more information, please visit Uploaded by: Western Communications (MH)