부산대학교 도서관

Cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of death globally, responsible for approximately 17.5 million deaths per year. In particular, myocardial infarction caused by the obstruction of a coronary artery can lead to heart failure. A growing number of studies have demonstrated that extracellular vesicles (EVs) exhibit great potential as cell-free cardioprotective agents, which could overcome many of the technical, ethical and regulatory hurdles associated with cell-based therapies. However, the beneficial effects of administered EVs are short-lived; a major limitation that could be circumvented using a material-based approach for increased retention and sustained release. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to develop a translational approach for repairing the infarcted heart, in the form of injectable, 'off-the-shelf' EV-loaded synthetic microgels. This platform was designed to improve EV stability and retention time at the site of administration, with sustained and environmentally-responsive release of EVs to the surrounding damaged tissue. Methods for fabricating monodisperse environmentally-sensitive microgels using a microfluidic-based platform were developed, and a first proof-of-concept of the feasibility of loading and releasing EVs from the microgels was demonstrated in vitro and in vivo.