Research Funding

SUMMARY Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHV), made from glutaraldehyde-fixed xenografts, are widely used for surgical (SAVR) and transcatheter valve interventions (TAVR), but suffer from limited durability due to Structural Valve Degeneration (SVD). Advances in BHV device engineering and delivery have created the possibility to provide state-of-the-art care to heart valve disease patients that were once deemed inoperable due to their risk score and advanced co-morbidities. However, the same class of devices is offered to all patients, irrespectively of their co-morbidities and susceptibility to structural valve degeneration. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common comorbidity in patients who require BHV and is a known risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Our published and preliminary results show the enhanced susceptibility of bio-implantable materials to oxidation, glycation, pro- calcific proteins, and crosslinkers in patients with Metabolic Syndrome or rodent model of MetS, using Zuck