Inventors:
Nanette H. Bishopric - Palo Alto CA
Linda Dousman - Boulder Creek CA
Assignee:
St. Jude Medical, Inc. - St. Paul MN
International Classification:
A61F 202
Abstract:
Disclosed is a process for treating body tissues such as vascular structures to remove barriers to recellularization before and after implantation in a human host. The body tissue, for example a heart valve, is subjected to a hypotonic/hypertonic treatment, then treated with enzymes to provide a collagen- and elastin-containing matrix suitable for recellularization.