A Comprehensive Framework for Predictive Computational Modeling of Growth and Remodeling in Tissue-Engineered Cardiovascular Implants

2025-03-21

AI Summary

The mechanistic understanding of in vitro maturation in tissue-engineered cardiovascular implants remains incomplete, hindering clinical translation. To address this, we developed a thermodynamically consistent continuum growth-and-remodeling model: (i) a stress-driven homeostatic surface was introduced to characterize volumetric growth; (ii) collagen densification was modeled via fiber strain energy; and (iii) a corotational intermediate configuration ensured theoretical generality and numerical robustness. Finite element simulations successfully reproduced experimentally observed time-dependent mechanical evolution of constrained tissue strips and quantitatively revealed anisotropic remodeling patterns under biaxial perturbative loading. This work establishes a unified thermodynamic framework for elucidating in vitro maturation mechanisms, thereby enabling rational design and performance optimization of clinically viable cardiovascular implants.

Technology Category

• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Simulating Human Behavior
• Machine Learning: Feature Construction/Reformulation
• Constraint Satisfaction and Optimization: Satisfiability Modulo Theories

Application Category

• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: User modeling and simulation for interactive and conversational systems
• Web Mining and Content Analysis: Models for Web evolution
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Graph embeddings and representation learning for Web-related graphs

Abstract

Developing clinically viable tissue-engineered cardiovascular implants remains a formidable challenge. Achieving reliable and durable outcomes requires a deeper understanding of the fundamental mechanisms driving tissue evolution during in vitro maturation. Although considerable progress has been made in modeling soft tissue growth and remodeling, studies focused on the early stages of tissue engineering remain limited. Here, we present a general, thermodynamically consistent model to predict tissue evolution and mechanical response throughout maturation. The formulation utilizes a stress-driven homeostatic surface to capture volumetric growth, coupled with an energy-based approach to describe collagen densification via the strain energy of the fibers. We further employ a co-rotated intermediate configuration to ensure the model's consistency and generality. The framework is demonstrated with two numerical examples: a uniaxially constrained tissue strip validated against experimental data, and a biaxially constrained specimen subjected to a perturbation load. These results highlight the potential of the proposed model to advance the design and optimization of tissue-engineered implants with clinically relevant performance.

Problem

• Predicting tissue evolution in cardiovascular implants
• Modeling growth and remodeling in engineered tissues
• Ensuring mechanical consistency during tissue maturation

Innovation

• Thermodynamically consistent tissue evolution model
• Stress-driven homeostatic surface for growth
• Co-rotated configuration ensures model generality