TU Dublin Researcher Awarded Prestigious Grant to Pioneer ‘Growvalve’ – A Revolutionary Heart Valve Solution for Children
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Dr. Claire Brougham, a researcher at TU Dublin’s tPOT Research Centre and the School of Mechanical Engineering, has been awarded €784,485.26 from Research Ireland’s prestigious Frontiers of the Future Programme. This substantial funding will fuel the development of Growvalve, an innovative, tissue-engineered heart valve specifically designed for paediatric patients—a breakthrough that promises to reshape paediatric heart surgery.
A Heart Valve that Grows with the Child
Current heart valve replacements in paediatric surgery come with a major limitation: they cannot grow with the child. This forces young patients to undergo multiple surgeries as their hearts expand with age, a challenging and painful reality for both children and their families. Growvalve seeks to change this narrative by developing a living, biologically integrated valve that grows in tandem with the child’s heart.
Growvalve uses a combination of natural materials and cutting-edge engineering to craft a personalised, living valve derived from a child’s own cells.
I’m thrilled to be awarded this prestigious funding from Research Ireland for this exciting project,” said Dr. Brougham. “Together with my collaborators, we hope to advance this novel technology and bring a new generation of paediatric heart valves closer to clinical translation
High-Risk, High-Reward Research with Global Potential
Growvalve is a high-risk, high-reward project that pushes the frontiers of regenerative medicine. This groundbreaking approach could eliminate the need for repeated surgeries in children with heart valve disease, reducing long-term health risks and improving quality of life.
Dr. Brougham leads this pioneering project in collaboration with a team of distinguished experts in tissue engineering and clinical research. Her collaborators include Prof. Fergal O’Brien of RCSI, Prof. Fionnuala Breathnach of Rotunda RCSI, and Prof. Stefan Jockenhovel from both RWTH Aachen and the University of Maastricht. Together, they bring an unparalleled wealth of knowledge in cellular engineering, cardiovascular health, and biomedical innovation.
TU Dublin’s Commitment to Societal Impact through Applied Research
The Growvalve project underscores TU Dublin’s emphasis on impactful research that addresses real-world problems. Through its “learning by doing” philosophy, TU Dublin empowers researchers to translate cutting-edge theories into practical, life-enhancing solutions. Dr. Brougham’s work exemplifies this mission, addressing a crucial need in paediatric healthcare with a solution that holds the promise of lasting societal impact.