---
title: "ETH Zurich researchers 3D print heart patch"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/eth-zurich-researchers-3d-print-heart-patch/
date: 2025-08-07
modified: 2025-08-07
lang: en
author: "Edward Wakefield"
description: "According to ETH Zurich, a new type of tissue-engineered cardiac patch could not only seal defective areas of the heart, as has been the case up to now, but also..."
categories:
  - "Biomaterials"
  - "Bioprinting"
  - "Medical AM"
  - "Medical Research"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/image.imageformat.carousel.381972346-640x320.jpg
word_count: 567
---

# ETH Zurich researchers 3D print heart patch

[According to ETH Zurich](https://ethz.ch/en/news-and-events/eth-news/news/2025/08/a-patch-for-the-heart.html), a new type of tissue-engineered cardiac patch could not only seal defective areas of the heart, as has been the case up to now, but also heal them. The 3D printed patch has been successfully implanted in animals.

Following a heart attack, blood flow to the heart is interrupted, and the resulting lack of oxygen can cause heart damage. The heart wall can rupture in severe cases, requiring immediate surgical intervention. Today, bovine pericardial patches are used to repair such heart defects due to their stability, permeability, and ease of implantation.

[An interdisciplinary research team from ETH Zurich](https://www.voxelmatters.com/eth-zurich-team-develops-moisture-storing-3d-printed-wall-components/) and the University Hospital of Zurich, led by Professor Robert Katzschmann and Professor Omer Dzemali, has developed a novel 3D heart patch for intraventricular implantation. The team has presented their study [in the journal Advanced Materials](https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202504765).

The bovine pericardial patches (BPP) currently used have significant disadvantages. Not only are they biologically inert, meaning they remain foreign bodies in the heart and cannot be broken down, but they can also cause unwanted reactions such as calcification, thrombosis, or inflammation.

"Traditional heart patches do not integrate into the heart tissue and remain permanently in the body. We wanted to solve this problem with our patch, which integrates into the existing heart tissue," said Lewis Jones, lead author of the study.

The 'RCPatch' (Reinforced Cardiac Patch) could become a long-term alternative to conventional patches made from bovine pericardium: "Our goal was to develop a patch that not only closes a defect but also helps to repair it completely," said Katzschmann.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWBZC-mtN9g

The new RCPatch has advantages over bovine pericardium because it consists of three parts: a fine mesh that seals the damage, [a 3D printed scaffold for stability](https://www.voxelmatters.com/scientists-combine-hydrogels-and-fibers-in-novel-3d-printing-technique/), and a hydrogel populated with heart muscle cells. The scaffold has a lattice structure composed of a degradable polymer, which the researchers produce using a 3D printer. "The scaffold is stable enough and can be filled with a hydrogel containing living cells," said Jones.

The ETH researchers combined the lattice structure with a thin mesh so that it could be easily attached to the heart. Katzschmann and his team enriched this mesh with the same hydrogel. This allows the RCPatch to integrate into the surrounding tissue and grow together with the heart muscle cells.

"The big advantage is that the scaffold is completely degraded after the cells have combined with the tissue. This means that no foreign body remains," said Jones. The combination of the three components results in a dense, easy-to-use heart patch that is partly made of living cells.

An initial animal experiment demonstrated the ability of the patch to be successfully implanted and withstand the high pressure in the heart. The researchers succeeded in preventing bleeding and restoring cardiac function. In preclinical tests on pig models, the RCPatch was used to close an artificial defect in the left ventricle. "We were able to show that the patch retains its structural integrity even under real blood pressure," said Katzschmann.

The ETH Zurich research group has thus created a promising foundation for the development of a mechanically reinforced and [tissue-engineered heart](https://www.voxelmatters.com/uta-professors-3d-print-heart-patch-to-support-cardiac-care/) patch suitable for implantation in humans. In the long term, the RCPatch is intended not only to repair but also to regenerate myocardial damage, ultimately healing the heart. In the next step, the researchers aim to develop the material further and investigate its stability in [long-term animal studies](https://www.voxelmatters.com/3d-printed-chip-shows-potential-to-end-need-for-animal-testing/).