# Biomimetic size-adaptable heart valve for prosthesis-patient mismatch

> **NIH NIH R41** · AUTUS VALVE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. · 2021 · $299,994

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The overall goal of this Phase I STTR project is to develop a biomimetic size-adjustable prosthetic
heart valve (Autus Size-Adaptable Valve) that can be expanded post-implantation to accommodate
changes in blood flow due to somatic growth or cardiac remodelling, to prevent the complications of
valve prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM). By design, all existing surgical prosthetic valves have a fixed
functional diameter, leaving tens of thousands of patients at risk of developing valve PPM due to changes in
body size, or heart remodeling. Growing children who undergo valve replacement develop PPM and currently
need repeated invasive open-heart operations to replace outgrown valves. In adults, over 50% of patients who
undergo surgical aortic valve replacement develop PPM, leading to higher risk of mortality. The Autus Size-
Adaptable Valve is intended for surgical pulmonary or aortic valve replacement and can be expanded post-
implantation, via minimally invasive transcatheter balloon dilation.
Autus Valve Technologies, Inc. developed the Autus Size-Adaptable Valve as a biomimetic bileaflet
prosthetic heart valve that is size-adjustable to prevent PPM. The design mimics the dynamic structure-
function relationship of the human venous valve to provide a size-adaptable valve replacement that maintains
optimal function across a wide range of dimensions. Benchtop durability testing, computational modeling, acute
in vivo studies, and 20-week survival studies in growing lambs validated functional performance and structural
integrity of the biomimetic design. The next technical challenge is to optimize the frame geometry and select
materials that will minimize the risk of stent failure in preparation for clinical testing in children.
The objective of Phase I is to confirm feasibility by completing two design objectives: 1) Optimize the frame
geometry to minimize risk of failure at each stage of device expansion and in response to external
compression, and 2) Identify the optimal frame material to proceed with design verification testing and a first-in-
human clinical study. Therefore, Aim 1 is to optimize the design of the expandable bileaflet valve frame
using finite element computational modelling. The frame geometry will be optimized to minimize von Mises
stress and plastic strain in the frame at all stages of device expansion. Aim 2 is to perform a failure and
fatigue analysis of the optimized expandable bileaflet valve frame and evaluate the mechanical
response to expansion and compression to develop a finalized prototype for in vitro validation studies.
Safety factors for frame failure and fatigue will be established and the optimal frame material will be identified.
The final deliverables will be an advanced prototype that has: 1) an optimized frame design to minimize the risk
of failure with expansion and under external compression; 2) established safety factors for frame failure and
fatigue at all stages of device expansion; and 3) a frame ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10150307
- **Project number:** 1R41HL156563-01
- **Recipient organization:** AUTUS VALVE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
- **Principal Investigator:** Pedro J. del Nido
- **Activity code:** R41 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $299,994
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-01-01 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10150307

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10150307, Biomimetic size-adaptable heart valve for prosthesis-patient mismatch (1R41HL156563-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10150307. Licensed CC0.

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