COMMON QUESTIONS
WHAT IS VALVULAR HEART DISEASE?
In your heart, there are four valves, each tasked with the job of ensuring blood moves in the right direction. Any of these valves can become diseased and require surgical repair or replacement.
WHY DO WE NEED A NEW OPTION FOR HEART VALVE REPLACEMENTS?
There are currently two main types of replacements for heart valves. Tissue valves are made from cow or pig tissue and degrade over time due to an immune response to the foreign tissue. When the valve degrades, the patient requires another surgery to replace the valve. Mechanical valves are more durable than tissue valves, but require lifelong blood thinners which carry a risk of bleeding for the patient.
HOW IS SOLIDIFIED INC CREATING A BETTER HEART VALVE REPLACEMENT?
At Solidified Inc, we have worked to develop a protocol for engineering valve material that does not cause a significant immune response and does not require blood thinners. Our patent-pending protocol includes removal of surface animal markers and replacement of the original cells with human stem cells. Our protocol essentially hides the valve from the immune system meaning the valve does not degrade over time and does not require blood thinners for the patient, providing the ideal heart valve replacement.