Domestic researchers developed a cardiovascular simulator capable of reproducing the rapid heartbeat of newborns and the sudden blood pressure changes caused by myocardial infarction. The precise reproduction of the heart valve structure is expected to aid in cardiovascular disease research.
The National Research Foundation of Korea announced on the 19th that a research team led by Professor Park Yun-seok of Kyunghee University has successfully developed a high-precision cardiovascular simulator that can mimic the human aortic valve structure with a biomimetic soft heart valve and implement complex pressure waveforms through precise magnetic field control.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and a physiological understanding for early diagnosis and treatment development is crucial. In particular, cardiovascular simulators that mimic blood pressure and pulse pressure changes in the human body are used as key research devices; however, they have typically been bulky and difficult to control precisely, mainly due to mechanical valves or hydraulic pump methods.
The research team developed a cardiovascular simulator that uses soft magnetic valves and magnetic heart valves based on the structure of the human aortic valve as core technologies.
The aortic valve of the heart consists of three valve leaflets, allowing blood to flow in one direction according to the contraction and relaxation of the heartbeat. The research team ensured that the magnetic heart valves and soft magnetic valves resembling the three-leaf structure naturally open and close in response to the intensity and direction of an external magnetic field. The magnetic heart valves and soft magnetic valves were made from a composite uniformly mixed with 'neodymium magnetic particles' that have strong magnetism and excellent elasticity.
The developed system demonstrated high responsiveness, capable of performing opening and closing actions with minor magnetic field changes in artificial blood vessel experiments, achieving a valve response time of up to 150 ms, significantly faster than existing flexible valves. This performance is at a level that can stably operate under extreme conditions of a heart rate of 300 bpm, accurately reproducing blood pressure waveforms from infants to adults within an error of 1 mmHg.
Professor Park Yun-seok noted, 'This cardiovascular simulator, which can control the flow and pressure of fluids in real-time through magnetic fields, can even finely mimic abnormal pulse pressure waveforms.' He expressed hope for the expansion of applications in biomimetic systems, medical simulators, and humanoid robot heart development.
The results of this study were published in the international journal of materials science, 'Advanced Materials,' on April 23rd, and it was also selected as the paper for the inside back cover of the journal.
References
Advanced Materials (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202419504