From Porcine Valves To The Carmat Artificial Heart
By Adam Pick on November 8, 2008
Talk about an incredible doctor and cutting-edge technology!
I just learned that porcine valve replacement pioneer, Dr. Alain Carpentier, is leading the development of a new, artificial heart. Carmat SAS, Carpentier’s France-based company, recently landed over $15 million in start-up funding and $50 million in government grants to develop the artificial heart using plane technology.
The new device, shown above at a news conference in Paris, has only been tested in animals. Its makers hope it might one day help people survive without needing a human heart transplant.
You may recall that Carpentier won the 2007 Lasker Award, alongside Albert Starr, for his work with porcine heart valves during the 1960s.
Keep on tickin!
Adam