Australian researchers have developed a personalised “heart band-aid” they hope could one day offer an alternative to heart transplants.

The 3D-printed patch is made using a patient’s own stem cells and silk from silkworms. Scientists say it is designed to repair damaged heart tissue, rather than entirely replacing the organ through a transplant.

Associate Professor Carmine Gentile, who leads the research at the Heart Research Institute and the University of Technology Sydney, has spent 20 years developing the technology.

The patch can be printed in around 40 minutes once the cells are prepared over three months. It is currently designed for heart attack patients who have suffered heart failure.

The breakthrough comes as heart disease remains one of Australia’s leading causes of death. Around 120 heart transplants are performed nationwide each year, while many patients spend months or even years waiting for a donor organ.

Researchers hope the personalised patch could eventually reduce waiting times and provide a less invasive treatment option, but they say more funding is needed for testing before it can move to human clinical trials.

Watch more from 10 News+ at 10.com.au