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Sun YH, Kao HKJ, Thai PN, Smithers R, Chang CW, Pretto D, Yechikov S, Oppenheimer S, Bedolla A, Chalker BA, Ghobashy R, Nolta JA, Chan JW, Chiamvimonvat N, Lieu DK. The sinoatrial node extracellular matrix promotes pacemaker phenotype and protects automaticity in engineered heart tissues from cyclic strain. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113505. [PMID: 38041810 PMCID: PMC10790625 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The composite material-like extracellular matrix (ECM) in the sinoatrial node (SAN) supports the native pacemaking cardiomyocytes (PCMs). To test the roles of SAN ECM in the PCM phenotype and function, we engineered reconstructed-SAN heart tissues (rSANHTs) by recellularizing porcine SAN ECMs with hiPSC-derived PCMs. The hiPSC-PCMs in rSANHTs self-organized into clusters resembling the native SAN and displayed higher expression of pacemaker-specific genes and a faster automaticity compared with PCMs in reconstructed-left ventricular heart tissues (rLVHTs). To test the protective nature of SAN ECMs under strain, rSANHTs and rLVHTs were transplanted onto the murine thoracic diaphragm to undergo constant cyclic strain. All strained-rSANHTs preserved automaticity, whereas 66% of strained-rLVHTs lost their automaticity. In contrast to the strained-rLVHTs, PCMs in strained-rSANHTs maintained high expression of key pacemaker genes (HCN4, TBX3, and TBX18). These findings highlight the promotive and protective roles of the composite SAN ECM and provide valuable insights for pacemaking tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao-Hui Sun
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Hillary K J Kao
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Phung N Thai
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Regan Smithers
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Che-Wei Chang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Dalyir Pretto
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Sergey Yechikov
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Sarah Oppenheimer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; Bridges to Stem Cell Research Program, California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Amanda Bedolla
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; Bridges to Stem Cell Research Program, California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Brooke A Chalker
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; Bridges to Stem Cell Research Program, Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt, CA 95521, USA
| | - Rana Ghobashy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; Bridges to Stem Cell Research Program, California State University, Sacramento, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Jan A Nolta
- Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - James W Chan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Nipavan Chiamvimonvat
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Department of Veterans Affairs, Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA 95655, USA
| | - Deborah K Lieu
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
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Aitova A, Berezhnoy A, Tsvelaya V, Gusev O, Lyundup A, Efimov AE, Agapov I, Agladze K. Biomimetic Cardiac Tissue Models for In Vitro Arrhythmia Studies. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:487. [PMID: 37887618 PMCID: PMC10604593 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8060487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac arrhythmias are a major cause of cardiovascular mortality worldwide. Many arrhythmias are caused by reentry, a phenomenon where excitation waves circulate in the heart. Optical mapping techniques have revealed the role of reentry in arrhythmia initiation and fibrillation transition, but the underlying biophysical mechanisms are still difficult to investigate in intact hearts. Tissue engineering models of cardiac tissue can mimic the structure and function of native cardiac tissue and enable interactive observation of reentry formation and wave propagation. This review will present various approaches to constructing cardiac tissue models for reentry studies, using the authors' work as examples. The review will highlight the evolution of tissue engineering designs based on different substrates, cell types, and structural parameters. A new approach using polymer materials and cellular reprogramming to create biomimetic cardiac tissues will be introduced. The review will also show how computational modeling of cardiac tissue can complement experimental data and how such models can be applied in the biomimetics of cardiac tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleria Aitova
- Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
- Almetyevsk State Oil Institute, 423450 Almetyevsk, Russia
| | - Andrey Berezhnoy
- Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
- Almetyevsk State Oil Institute, 423450 Almetyevsk, Russia
| | - Valeriya Tsvelaya
- Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
- Almetyevsk State Oil Institute, 423450 Almetyevsk, Russia
| | - Oleg Gusev
- Regulatory Genomics Research Center, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420018 Kazan, Russia
- Life Improvement by Future Technologies (LIFT) Center, 143025 Moscow, Russia
- Intractable Disease Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | | | - Anton E. Efimov
- Academician V.I. Shumakov National Medical Research Center of Transplantology and Artificial Organs, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Igor Agapov
- Academician V.I. Shumakov National Medical Research Center of Transplantology and Artificial Organs, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Konstantin Agladze
- Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
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English EJ, Samolyk BL, Gaudette GR, Pins GD. Micropatterned fibrin scaffolds increase cardiomyocyte alignment and contractility for the fabrication of engineered myocardial tissue. J Biomed Mater Res A 2023; 111:1309-1321. [PMID: 36932841 PMCID: PMC11128133 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, which can result in blockage of a coronary artery, triggering a myocardial infarction (MI), scar tissue formation in the myocardium, and ultimately heart failure. Currently, the gold-standard solution for total heart failure is a heart transplantation. An alternative to total-organ transplantation is surgically remodeling the ventricle with the implantation of a cardiac patch. Acellular cardiac patches have previously been investigated using synthetic or decellularized native materials to improve cardiac function. However, a limitation of this strategy is that acellular cardiac patches only reshape the ventricle and do not increase cardiac contractile function. Toward the development of a cardiac patch, our laboratory previously developed a cell-populated composite fibrin scaffold and aligned microthreads to recapitulate the mechanical properties of native myocardium. In this study, we explore micropatterning the surfaces of fibrin gels to mimic anisotropic native tissue architecture and promote cellular alignment of human induced pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocytes (hiPS-CM), which is crucial for increasing scaffold contractile properties. hiPS-CMs seeded on micropatterned surfaces exhibit cellular elongation, distinct sarcomere alignment, and circumferential connexin-43 staining at 14 days of culture, which are necessary for mature contractile properties. Constructs were also subject to electrical stimulation during culture to promote increased contractile properties. After 7 days of stimulation, contractile strains of micropatterned constructs were significantly higher than unpatterned controls. These results suggest that the use of micropatterned topographic cues on fibrin scaffolds may be a promising strategy for creating engineered cardiac tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth J. English
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
- Tessera Therapeutics, Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Bryanna L. Samolyk
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Glenn R. Gaudette
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Engineering, Boston College, Newton, Massachusetts, USA
| | - George D. Pins
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA
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Muniyandi P, O’Hern C, Popa MA, Aguirre A. Biotechnological advances and applications of human pluripotent stem cell-derived heart models. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1214431. [PMID: 37560538 PMCID: PMC10407810 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1214431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, significant biotechnological advancements have been made in engineering human cardiac tissues and organ-like models. This field of research is crucial for both basic and translational research due to cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death in the developed world. Additionally, drug-associated cardiotoxicity poses a major challenge for drug development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. Progress in three-dimensional cell culture and microfluidic devices has enabled the generation of human cardiac models that faithfully recapitulate key aspects of human physiology. In this review, we will discuss 3D pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-models of the human heart, such as engineered heart tissues and organoids, and their applications in disease modeling and drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyadharshni Muniyandi
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Colin O’Hern
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Mirel Adrian Popa
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology Nicolae Simionescu, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Aitor Aguirre
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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Cheng S, Brenière-Letuffe D, Ahola V, Wong AO, Keung HY, Gurung B, Zheng Z, Costa KD, Lieu DK, Keung W, Li RA. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals maturation trajectory in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in engineered tissues. iScience 2023; 26:106302. [PMID: 36950112 PMCID: PMC10025988 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac in vitro models have become increasingly obtainable and affordable with the optimization of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hPSC-CM) differentiation. However, these CMs are immature compared to their in vivo counterparts. Here we study the cellular phenotype of hPSC-CMs by comparing their single-cell gene expression and functional profiles in three engineered cardiac tissue configurations: human ventricular (hv) cardiac anisotropic sheet, cardiac tissue strip, and cardiac organoid chamber (hvCOC), with spontaneously aggregated 3D cardiac spheroids (CS) as control. The CM maturity was found to increase with increasing levels of complexity of the engineered tissues from CS to hvCOC. The contractile components are the first function to mature, followed by electrophysiology and oxidative metabolism. Notably, the 2D tissue constructs show a higher cellular organization whereas metabolic maturity preferentially increases in the 3D constructs. We conclude that the tissue engineering models resembling configurations of native tissues may be reliable for drug screening or disease modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangli Cheng
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - David Brenière-Letuffe
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, CLINTEC, Karolinska Institutet, 141 52 Stockholm, Sweden
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska Universitetssjukhuset, 141 86 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Virpi Ahola
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | | | - Hoi Yee Keung
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Bimal Gurung
- Novoheart, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Zongli Zheng
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kevin D. Costa
- Novoheart, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Deborah K. Lieu
- Novoheart, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Institute for Regenerative Cures and Stem Cell Program, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA
| | - Wendy Keung
- Novoheart, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Dr. Li Dak Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ronald A. Li
- Novoheart, Irvine, CA 92617, USA
- Corresponding author
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Criscione J, Rezaei Z, Hernandez Cantu CM, Murphy S, Shin SR, Kim DH. Heart-on-a-chip platforms and biosensor integration for disease modeling and phenotypic drug screening. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 220:114840. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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7
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Charwat V, Charrez B, Siemons BA, Finsberg H, Jæger KH, Edwards AG, Huebsch N, Wall S, Miller E, Tveito A, Healy KE. Validating the Arrhythmogenic Potential of High-, Intermediate-, and Low-Risk Drugs in a Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Microphysiological System. ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2022; 5:652-667. [PMID: 35983280 PMCID: PMC9380217 DOI: 10.1021/acsptsci.2c00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Evaluation of arrhythmogenic drugs is required by regulatory agencies before any new compound can obtain market approval. Despite rigorous review, cardiac disorders remain the second most common cause for safety-related market withdrawal. On the other hand, false-positive preclinical findings prohibit potentially beneficial candidates from moving forward in the development pipeline. Complex in vitro models using cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CM) have been identified as a useful tool that allows for rapid and cost-efficient screening of proarrhythmic drug risk. Currently available hiPSC-CM models employ simple two-dimensional (2D) culture formats with limited structural and functional relevance to the human heart muscle. Here, we present the use of our 3D cardiac microphysiological system (MPS), composed of a hiPSC-derived heart micromuscle, as a platform for arrhythmia risk assessment. We employed two different hiPSC lines and tested seven drugs with known ion channel effects and known clinical risk: dofetilide and bepridil (high risk); amiodarone and terfenadine (intermediate risk); and nifedipine, mexiletine, and lidocaine (low risk). The cardiac MPS successfully predicted drug cardiotoxicity risks based on changes in action potential duration, beat waveform (i.e., shape), and occurrence of proarrhythmic events of healthy patient hiPSC lines in the absence of risk cofactors. We showcase examples where the cardiac MPS outperformed existing hiPSC-CM 2D models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Charwat
- Department of Bioengineering and California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Bérénice Charrez
- Department of Bioengineering and California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Brian A. Siemons
- Department of Bioengineering and California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | | | | | | | - Nathaniel Huebsch
- Department of Bioengineering and California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Samuel Wall
- Simula Research Laboratory, 0164 Oslo, Norway
| | - Evan Miller
- Department of Chemistry, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | | | - Kevin E. Healy
- Department of Bioengineering and California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3), University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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Wang J, Soto F, Ma P, Ahmed R, Yang H, Chen S, Wang J, Liu C, Akin D, Fu K, Cao X, Chen P, Hsu EC, Soh HT, Stoyanova T, Wu JC, Demirci U. Acoustic Fabrication of Living Cardiomyocyte-based Hybrid Biorobots. ACS NANO 2022; 16:10219-10230. [PMID: 35671037 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c01908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Organized assemblies of cells have demonstrated promise as bioinspired actuators and devices; still, the fabrication of such "biorobots" has predominantly relied on passive assembly methods that reduce design capabilities. To address this, we have developed a strategy for the rapid formation of functional biorobots composed of live cardiomyocytes. We employ tunable acoustic fields to facilitate the efficient aggregation of millions of cells into high-density macroscopic architectures with directed cell orientation and enhanced cell-cell interaction. These biorobots can perform actuation functions both through naturally occurring contraction-relaxation cycles and through external control with chemical and electrical stimuli. We demonstrate that these biorobots can be used to achieve controlled actuation of a soft skeleton and pumping of microparticles. The biocompatible acoustic assembly strategy described here should prove generally useful for cellular manipulation in the context of tissue engineering, soft robotics, and other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Wang
- Bio-Acoutic MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Laboratory, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Fernando Soto
- Bio-Acoutic MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Laboratory, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Peng Ma
- Bio-Acoutic MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Laboratory, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Rajib Ahmed
- Bio-Acoutic MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Laboratory, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Huaxiao Yang
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Sihan Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China
| | - Jibo Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China
| | - Chun Liu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Demir Akin
- Bio-Acoutic MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Laboratory, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Kaiyu Fu
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Xu Cao
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Pu Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wuhan University School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China
- Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, China
| | - En-Chi Hsu
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Hyongsok Tom Soh
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Tanya Stoyanova
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Joseph C Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
| | - Utkan Demirci
- Bio-Acoutic MEMS in Medicine (BAMM) Laboratory, Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
- Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection, Department of Radiology, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California 94304-5427, United States
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Mousavi A, Stefanek E, Jafari A, Ajji Z, Naghieh S, Akbari M, Savoji H. Tissue-engineered heart chambers as a platform technology for drug discovery and disease modeling. BIOMATERIALS ADVANCES 2022; 138:212916. [PMID: 35913255 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2022.212916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Current drug screening approaches are incapable of fully detecting and characterizing drug effectiveness and toxicity of human cardiomyocytes. The pharmaceutical industry uses mathematical models, cell lines, and in vivo models. Many promising drugs are abandoned early in development, and some cardiotoxic drugs reach humans leading to drug recalls. Therefore, there is an unmet need to have more reliable and predictive tools for drug discovery and screening applications. Biofabrication of functional cardiac tissues holds great promise for developing a faithful 3D in vitro disease model, optimizing drug screening efficiencies enabling precision medicine. Different fabrication techniques including molding, pull spinning and 3D bioprinting were used to develop tissue-engineered heart chambers. The big challenge is to effectively organize cells into tissue with structural and physiological features resembling native tissues. Some advancements have been made in engineering miniaturized heart chambers that resemble a living pump for drug screening and disease modeling applications. Here, we review the currently developed tissue-engineered heart chambers and discuss challenges and prospects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Mousavi
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1C5 Canada; Montreal TransMedTech Institute (iTMT), Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Evan Stefanek
- Laboratory for Innovation in Microengineering (LiME), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 2C5, Canada; Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technologies (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Arman Jafari
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1C5 Canada; Montreal TransMedTech Institute (iTMT), Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Zineb Ajji
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1C5 Canada; Montreal TransMedTech Institute (iTMT), Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada
| | - Saman Naghieh
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
| | - Mohsen Akbari
- Laboratory for Innovation in Microengineering (LiME), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Center for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 2C5, Canada; Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technologies (CAMTEC), University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada; Biotechnology Center, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 2A, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
| | - Houman Savoji
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada; Research Center, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1C5 Canada; Montreal TransMedTech Institute (iTMT), Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada.
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10
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Bremner SB, Gaffney KS, Sniadecki NJ, Mack DL. A Change of Heart: Human Cardiac Tissue Engineering as a Platform for Drug Development. Curr Cardiol Rep 2022; 24:473-486. [PMID: 35247166 PMCID: PMC8897733 DOI: 10.1007/s11886-022-01668-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Human cardiac tissue engineering holds great promise for early detection of drug-related cardiac toxicity and arrhythmogenicity during drug discovery and development. We describe shortcomings of the current drug development pathway, recent advances in the development of cardiac tissue constructs as drug testing platforms, and the challenges remaining in their widespread adoption. RECENT FINDINGS Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) have been used to develop a variety of constructs including cardiac spheroids, microtissues, strips, rings, and chambers. Several ambitious studies have used these constructs to test a significant number of drugs, and while most have shown proper negative inotropic and arrhythmogenic responses, few have been able to demonstrate positive inotropy, indicative of relative hPSC-CM immaturity. Several engineered human cardiac tissue platforms have demonstrated native cardiac physiology and proper drug responses. Future studies addressing hPSC-CM immaturity and inclusion of patient-specific cell lines will further advance the utility of such models for in vitro drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha B. Bremner
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Karen S. Gaffney
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Nathan J. Sniadecki
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - David L. Mack
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
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11
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Gurung B, Tse G, Keung W, Li RA, Wong WT. Arrhythmic Risk Assessment of Hypokalaemia Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Anisotropic Sheets. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:681665. [PMID: 34938727 PMCID: PMC8685904 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.681665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Hypokalaemia, defined as an extracellular concentration of K+ below 3.5 mM, can cause cardiac arrhythmias by triggered or re-entrant mechanisms. Whilst these effects have been reported in animal and human stem cell-based models, to date there has been no investigation in more complex structures such as the human ventricular cardiac anisotropic sheet (hvCAS). Here, we investigated arrhythmogenicity, electrophysiological, and calcium transient (CaT) changes induced by hypokalaemia using this bioengineered platform. Methods: An optical mapping technique was applied on hvCAS derived from human pluripotent stem cells to visualize electrophysiological and CaT changes under normokalaemic (5 mM KCl) and hypokalaemic (3 mM KCl) conditions. Results: Hypokalaemia significantly increased the proportion of preparations showing spontaneous arrhythmias from 0/14 to 7/14 (Fisher’s exact test, p = 0.003). Hypokalaemia reduced longitudinal conduction velocity (CV) from 7.81 to 7.18 cm⋅s−1 (n = 9, 7; p = 0.036), transverse CV from 5.72 to 4.69 cm⋅s−1 (n = 12, 11; p = 0.030), prolonged action potential at 90% repolarization (APD90) from 83.46 to 97.45 ms (n = 13, 15; p < 0.001), increased action potential amplitude from 0.888 to 1.195 ΔF (n = 12, 14; p < 0.001) and CaT amplitude from 0.76 to 1.37 ΔF (n = 12, 13; p < 0.001), and shortened effective refractory periods from 242 to 165 ms (n = 12, 13; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Hypokalaemia exerts pro-arrhythmic effects on hvCAS, which are associated with alterations in CV, repolarization, refractoriness, and calcium handling. These preparations provide a useful platform for investigating electrophysiological substrates and for conducting arrhythmia screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bimal Gurung
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Gary Tse
- Cardiac Electrophysiology Unit, Cardiovascular Analytics Group, China-UK Collaboration, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Kent and Medway Medical School, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ionic-Molecular Function of Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiology, Tianjin Institute of Cardiology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
| | - Wendy Keung
- Novoheart, Irvine, CA, United States.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, HKU-Karolinska Institutet Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | | | - Wing Tak Wong
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, China.,State Key Laboratory of Agrobiotechnology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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12
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Liu W, Sun Q, Zheng ZL, Gao YT, Zhu GY, Wei Q, Xu JZ, Li ZM, Zhao CS. Topographic Cues Guiding Cell Polarization via Distinct Cellular Mechanosensing Pathways. SMALL 2021; 18:e2104328. [PMID: 34738726 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202104328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 09/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Cell polarization exists in a variety of tissues to regulate cell behaviors and functions. Space constraint (spatially limiting cell extension) and adhesion induction (guiding adhesome growth) are two main ways to induce cell polarization according to the microenvironment topographies. However, the mechanism of cell polarization induced by these two ways and the downstream effects on cell functions are yet to be understood. Here, space constraint and adhesion induction guiding cell polarization are achieved by substrate groove arrays in micro and nano size, respectively. Although the morphology of polarized cells is similar on both structures, the signaling pathways to induce the cell polarization and the downstream functions are distinctly different. The adhesion induction (nano-groove) leads to the formation of focal adhesions and activates the RhoA/ROCK pathway to enhance the myosin-based intracellular force, while the space constraint (micro-groove) only activates the formation of pseudopodia. The enhanced intracellular force caused by adhesion induction inhibits the chromatin condensation, which promotes the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. This study presents an overview of cell polarization and mechanosensing at biointerface to aid in the design of novel biomaterials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Qian Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Zi-Li Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Ya-Ting Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Guan-Yin Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Qiang Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China.,College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Jia-Zhuang Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Zhong-Ming Li
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
| | - Chang-Sheng Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials and Engineering, College of Polymer Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China.,College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, China
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13
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Mohindra P, Desai TA. Micro- and nanoscale biophysical cues for cardiovascular disease therapy. NANOMEDICINE : NANOTECHNOLOGY, BIOLOGY, AND MEDICINE 2021; 34:102365. [PMID: 33571682 PMCID: PMC8217090 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2021.102365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
After cardiovascular injury, numerous pathological processes adversely impact the homeostatic function of cardiomyocyte, macrophage, fibroblast, endothelial cell, and vascular smooth muscle cell populations. Subsequent malfunctioning of these cells may further contribute to cardiovascular disease onset and progression. By modulating cellular responses after injury, it is possible to create local environments that promote wound healing and tissue repair mechanisms. The extracellular matrix continuously provides these mechanosensitive cell types with physical cues spanning the micro- and nanoscale to influence behaviors such as adhesion, morphology, and phenotype. It is therefore becoming increasingly compelling to harness these cell-substrate interactions to elicit more native cell behaviors that impede cardiovascular disease progression and enhance regenerative potential. This review discusses recent in vitro and preclinical work that have demonstrated the therapeutic implications of micro- and nanoscale biophysical cues on cell types adversely affected in cardiovascular diseases - cardiomyocytes, macrophages, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priya Mohindra
- UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Tejal A Desai
- UC Berkeley-UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering, San Francisco, CA, United States; Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.
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14
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Zhang XD, Thai PN, Lieu DK, Chiamvimonvat N. Model Systems for Addressing Mechanism of Arrhythmogenesis in Cardiac Repair. Curr Cardiol Rep 2021; 23:72. [PMID: 34050853 PMCID: PMC8164614 DOI: 10.1007/s11886-021-01498-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Cardiac cell-based therapy represents a promising approach for cardiac repair. However, one of the main challenges is cardiac arrhythmias associated with stem cell transplantation. The current review summarizes the recent progress in model systems for addressing mechanisms of arrhythmogenesis in cardiac repair. RECENT FINDINGS Animal models have been extensively developed for mechanistic studies of cardiac arrhythmogenesis. Advances in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), patient-specific disease models, tissue engineering, and gene editing have greatly enhanced our ability to probe the mechanistic bases of cardiac arrhythmias. Additionally, recent development in multiscale computational studies and machine learning provides yet another powerful tool to quantitatively decipher the mechanisms of cardiac arrhythmias. Advancing efforts towards the integrations of experimental and computational studies are critical to gain insights into novel mitigation strategies for cardiac arrhythmias in cell-based therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Dong Zhang
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA 95655 USA
| | - Phung N. Thai
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA 95655 USA
| | - Deborah K. Lieu
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Nipavan Chiamvimonvat
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System, Mather, CA 95655 USA
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
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15
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Seguret M, Vermersch E, Jouve C, Hulot JS. Cardiac Organoids to Model and Heal Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies. Biomedicines 2021; 9:563. [PMID: 34069816 PMCID: PMC8157277 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9050563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac tissue engineering aims at creating contractile structures that can optimally reproduce the features of human cardiac tissue. These constructs are becoming valuable tools to model some of the cardiac functions, to set preclinical platforms for drug testing, or to alternatively be used as therapies for cardiac repair approaches. Most of the recent developments in cardiac tissue engineering have been made possible by important advances regarding the efficient generation of cardiac cells from pluripotent stem cells and the use of novel biomaterials and microfabrication methods. Different combinations of cells, biomaterials, scaffolds, and geometries are however possible, which results in different types of structures with gradual complexities and abilities to mimic the native cardiac tissue. Here, we intend to cover key aspects of tissue engineering applied to cardiology and the consequent development of cardiac organoids. This review presents various facets of the construction of human cardiac 3D constructs, from the choice of the components to their patterning, the final geometry of generated tissues, and the subsequent readouts and applications to model and treat cardiac diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Seguret
- INSERM, PARCC, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; (M.S.); (E.V.); (C.J.)
| | - Eva Vermersch
- INSERM, PARCC, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; (M.S.); (E.V.); (C.J.)
| | - Charlène Jouve
- INSERM, PARCC, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; (M.S.); (E.V.); (C.J.)
| | - Jean-Sébastien Hulot
- INSERM, PARCC, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France; (M.S.); (E.V.); (C.J.)
- CIC1418 and DMU CARTE, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou, F-75015 Paris, France
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16
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Ferrari LM, Rodríguez-Meana B, Bonisoli A, Cutrone A, Micera S, Navarro X, Greco F, Del Valle J. All-Polymer Printed Low-Cost Regenerative Nerve Cuff Electrodes. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:615218. [PMID: 33644015 PMCID: PMC7902501 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.615218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neural regeneration after lesions is still limited by several factors and new technologies are developed to address this issue. Here, we present and test in animal models a new regenerative nerve cuff electrode (RnCE). It is based on a novel low-cost fabrication strategy, called "Print and Shrink", which combines the inkjet printing of a conducting polymer with a heat-shrinkable polymer substrate for the development of a bioelectronic interface. This method allows to produce miniaturized regenerative cuff electrodes without the use of cleanroom facilities and vacuum based deposition methods, thus highly reducing the production costs. To fully proof the electrodes performance in vivo we assessed functional recovery and adequacy to support axonal regeneration after section of rat sciatic nerves and repair with RnCE. We investigated the possibility to stimulate the nerve to activate different muscles, both in acute and chronic scenarios. Three months after implantation, RnCEs were able to stimulate regenerated motor axons and induce a muscular response. The capability to produce fully-transparent nerve interfaces provided with polymeric microelectrodes through a cost-effective manufacturing process is an unexplored approach in neuroprosthesis field. Our findings pave the way to the development of new and more usable technologies for nerve regeneration and neuromodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Ferrari
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, Italy.,The BioRobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Italy.,Université Côte d'Azur, INRIA, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - Bruno Rodríguez-Meana
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and CIBERNED, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Alberto Bonisoli
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, Italy.,The BioRobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Italy
| | - Annarita Cutrone
- The BioRobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Italy
| | - Silvestro Micera
- The BioRobotics Institute and Department of Excellence in Robotics and AI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pontedera, Italy.,Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational NeuroEngineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics and Institute of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xavier Navarro
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and CIBERNED, Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Francesco Greco
- Center for Micro-BioRobotics @SSSA, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Pontedera, Italy.,Institute of Solid State Physics, NAWI Graz, Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria.,Department of Life Science and Medical Bioscience, Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jaume Del Valle
- Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Institute of Neurosciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, and CIBERNED, Bellaterra, Spain
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17
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Wong AOT, Gurung B, Wong WS, Mak SY, Tse WW, Li CM, Lieu DK, Costa KD, Li RA, Hajjar RJ. Adverse effects of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin on contractility and arrhythmogenicity revealed by human engineered cardiac tissues. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2020; 153:106-110. [PMID: 33373642 PMCID: PMC7765761 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2020.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a global pandemic as declared by World Health Organization (WHO). In the absence of an effective treatment, different drugs with unknown effectiveness, including antimalarial hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), with or without concurrent administration with azithromycin (AZM), have been tested for treating COVID-19 patients with developed pneumonia. However, the efficacy and safety of HCQ and/or AZM have been questioned by recent clinical reports. Direct effects of these drugs on the human heart remain very poorly defined. To better understand the mechanisms of action of HCQ +/− AZM, we employed bioengineered human ventricular cardiac tissue strip (hvCTS) and anisotropic sheet (hvCAS) assays, made with human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes (hvCMs), which have been designed for measuring cardiac contractility and electrophysiology, respectively. Our hvCTS experiments showed that AZM induced a dose-dependent negative inotropic effect which could be aggravated by HCQ; electrophysiologically, as revealed by the hvCAS platform, AZM prolonged action potentials and induced spiral wave formations. Collectively, our data were consistent with reported clinical risks of HCQ and AZM on QTc prolongation/ventricular arrhythmias and development of heart failure. In conclusion, our study exposed the risks of HCQ/AZM administration while providing mechanistic insights for their toxicity. Our bioengineered human cardiac tissue constructs therefore provide a useful platform for screening cardiac safety and efficacy when developing therapeutics against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bimal Gurung
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | | | | | - Wan Wai Tse
- Novoheart, Irvine, California, United States
| | - Chloe M Li
- German Swiss International School, The Peak, Hong Kong
| | - Deborah K Lieu
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, United States
| | - Kevin D Costa
- Novoheart, Irvine, California, United States; Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Manhattan, New York, United States
| | - Ronald A Li
- Novoheart, Irvine, California, United States; Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong - Karolinska Institutet Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong; Sardocor, Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
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18
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Lam YY, Keung W, Chan CH, Geng L, Wong N, Brenière-Letuffe D, Li RA, Cheung YF. Single-Cell Transcriptomics of Engineered Cardiac Tissues From Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes Reveals Abnormal Developmental Trajectory and Intrinsic Contractile Defects in Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome. J Am Heart Assoc 2020; 9:e016528. [PMID: 33059525 PMCID: PMC7763394 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.120.016528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Background To understand the intrinsic cardiac developmental and functional abnormalities in pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PAIVS) free from effects secondary to anatomic defects, we performed and compared single‐cell transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses of patient‐ and healthy subject–derived human‐induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC‐CMs) and engineered tissue models. Methods and Results We derived hiPSC lines from 3 patients with PAIVS and 3 healthy subjects and differentiated them into hiPSC‐CMs, which were then bioengineered into the human cardiac anisotropic sheet and human cardiac tissue strip custom‐designed for electrophysiological and contractile assessments, respectively. Single‐cell RNA sequencing (scRNA‐seq) of hiPSC‐CMs, human cardiac anisotropic sheet, and human cardiac tissue strip was performed to examine the transcriptomic basis for any phenotypic abnormalities using pseudotime and differential expression analyses. Through pseudotime analysis, we demonstrated that bioengineered tissue constructs provide pro‐maturational cues to hiPSC‐CMs, although the maturation and development were attenuated in PAIVS hiPSC‐CMs. Furthermore, reduced contractility and prolonged contractile kinetics were observed with PAIVS human cardiac tissue strips. Consistently, single‐cell RNA sequencing of PAIVS human cardiac tissue strips and hiPSC‐CMs exhibited diminished expression of cardiac contractile apparatus genes. By contrast, electrophysiological aberrancies were absent in PAIVS human cardiac anisotropic sheets. Conclusions Our findings were the first to reveal intrinsic abnormalities of cardiomyocyte development and function in PAIVS free from secondary effects. We conclude that hiPSC‐derived engineered tissues offer a unique method for studying primary cardiac abnormalities and uncovering pathogenic mechanisms that underlie sporadic congenital heart diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin-Yu Lam
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR
| | - Wendy Keung
- Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre HKU - KI Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR.,Ming-Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine Karolinska Insititutet Hong Kong
| | - Chun-Ho Chan
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR
| | - Lin Geng
- Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre HKU - KI Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR
| | - Nicodemus Wong
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR
| | | | - Ronald A Li
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre HKU - KI Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR.,Ming-Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine Karolinska Insititutet Hong Kong
| | - Yiu-Fai Cheung
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre HKU - KI Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR.,Ming-Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine Karolinska Insititutet Hong Kong
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19
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Wong CK, Tse HF. New methodological approaches to atrial fibrillation drug discovery. Expert Opin Drug Discov 2020; 16:319-329. [PMID: 33016154 DOI: 10.1080/17460441.2021.1826432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice and rhythm control using pharmacological agents is required in selected patients. Nonetheless, current medication is only modestly efficacious and associated with significant cardiovascular and systemic side effects. More efficacious and safe drugs are required to restore and maintain sinus rhythm in patients with AF. AREAS COVERED In this review, several potential drug targets are discussed including trans-membrane ion channels, intracellular calcium signaling, gap junction signaling, atrial inflammation and fibrosis, and the autonomic nervous system. New tools and methodologies for AF drug development are also reviewed including gene therapy, genome-guided therapy, stem cell technologies, tissue engineering, and optogenetics. EXPERT OPINION In recent decades, there has been an increased understanding of the underlying pathogenesis of AF. As a result, there is a gradual paradigm shift from focusing only on trans-membrane ion channel inhibition to developing therapeutic agents that target other underlying arrhythmogenic mechanisms. Gene therapy and genome-guided therapy are emerging as novel treatments for AF with some success in proof-of-concept studies. Recent advances in stem cell technology, tissue engineering, and optogenetics may allow more effective in-vitro drug screening than conventional methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-Ka Wong
- Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
| | - Hung-Fat Tse
- Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China
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20
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Modeling the heart with Novoheart’s MyHeart™ platform. FUTURE DRUG DISCOVERY 2020. [DOI: 10.4155/fdd-2020-0003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Reliable and predictive human-specific in vitro heart models can revolutionize drug discovery and development. With the advent of pluripotent stem cell technologies, human cardiomyocytes can now be readily produced in large quantities. Using tissue engineering techniques, they can be further assembled into cardiac tissues of specific 2D and 3D configurations, to create models that behave and function like the native human heart. Novoheart (BC, Canada) uniquely offers the MyHeartTM Platform of bioengineered human heart constructs, designed to provide researchers with effective models of either healthy or diseased human hearts. As in vitro, human-based assays become more widely accepted, the next decade could witness a shift away from animal testing towards more accurate and scalable human assays like the MyHeartTM Platform.
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21
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Wong AOT, Wong N, Geng L, Chow MZY, Lee EK, Wu H, Khine M, Kong CW, Costa KD, Keung W, Cheung YF, Li RA. Combinatorial Treatment of Human Cardiac Engineered Tissues With Biomimetic Cues Induces Functional Maturation as Revealed by Optical Mapping of Action Potentials and Calcium Transients. Front Physiol 2020; 11:165. [PMID: 32226389 PMCID: PMC7080659 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Although biomimetic stimuli, such as microgroove-induced alignment (μ), triiodothyronine (T3) induction, and electrical conditioning (EC), have been reported to promote maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs), a systematic examination of their combinatorial effects on engineered cardiac tissue constructs and the underlying molecular pathways has not been reported. Herein, human embryonic stem cell-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes (hESC-VCMs) were used to generate a micro-patterned human ventricular cardiac anisotropic sheets (hvCAS) for studying the physiological effects of combinatorial treatments by a range of functional, calcium (Ca2+)-handling, and molecular analyses. High-resolution optical mapping showed that combined μ-T3-EC treatment of hvCAS increased the conduction velocity, anisotropic ratio, and proportion of mature quiescent-yet-excitable preparations by 2. 3-, 1. 8-, and 5-fold (>70%), respectively. Such electrophysiological changes could be attributed to an increase in inward sodium current density and a decrease in funny current densities, which is consistent with the observed up- and downregulated SCN1B and HCN2/4 transcripts, respectively. Furthermore, Ca2+-handling transcripts encoding for phospholamban (PLN) and sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) were upregulated, and this led to faster upstroke and decay kinetics of Ca2+-transients. RNA-sequencing and pathway mapping of T3-EC-treated hvCAS revealed that the TGF-β signaling was downregulated; the TGF-β receptor agonist and antagonist TGF-β1 and SB431542 partially reversed T3-EC induced quiescence and reduced spontaneous contractions, respectively. Taken together, we concluded that topographical cues alone primed cardiac tissue constructs for augmented electrophysiological and calcium handling by T3-EC. Not only do these studies improve our understanding of hPSC-CM biology, but the orchestration of these pro-maturational factors also improves the use of engineered cardiac tissues for in vitro drug screening and disease modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy On-Tik Wong
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Consortium, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Nicodemus Wong
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Consortium, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong - Karolinska Institutet Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Lin Geng
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Consortium, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong - Karolinska Institutet Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Maggie Zi-Ying Chow
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Consortium, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Eugene K Lee
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Hongkai Wu
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Michelle Khine
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Chi-Wing Kong
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Consortium, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Kevin D Costa
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Manhattan, NY, United States
| | - Wendy Keung
- Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Consortium, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong - Karolinska Institutet Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Yiu-Fai Cheung
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Ronald A Li
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong - Karolinska Institutet Collaboration in Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong.,Ming-Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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22
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Han Q, Du Y. Advances in the Application of Biomimetic Endometrium Interfaces for Uterine Bioengineering in Female Infertility. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2020; 8:153. [PMID: 32181248 PMCID: PMC7059418 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The Asherman’s syndrome, also known as intrauterine adhesion, often follows endometrium injuries resulting from dilation and curettage, hysteroscopic resection, and myomectomy as well as infection. It often leads to scarring formation and female infertility. Pathological changes mainly include gland atrophy, lack of vascular stromal tissues and hypoxia and anemia microenvironment in the adhesion areas. Surgical intervention, hormone therapy and intrauterine device implantation are the present clinical treatments for Asherman’s syndrome. However, they do not result in functional endometrium recovery or pregnancy rate improvement. Instead, an increasing number of researches have paid attention to the reconstruction of biomimetic endometrium interfaces with advanced tissue engineering technology in recent decades. From micro-scale cell sheet engineering and cell-seeded biological scaffolds to nano-scale extracellular vesicles and bioactive molecule delivery, biomimetic endometrium interfaces not only recreate physiological multi-layered structures but also restore an appropriate nutritional microenvironment by increasing vascularization and reducing immune responses. This review comprehensively discusses the advances in the application of novel biocompatible functionalized endometrium interface scaffolds for uterine tissue regeneration in female infertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixin Han
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanzhi Du
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Ren Ji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Key Laboratory for Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics, Shanghai, China
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23
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Sun L, Yu Y, Chen Z, Bian F, Ye F, Sun L, Zhao Y. Biohybrid robotics with living cell actuation. Chem Soc Rev 2020; 49:4043-4069. [DOI: 10.1039/d0cs00120a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
This review comprehensively discusses recent advances in the basic components, controlling methods and especially in the applications of biohybrid robots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingyu Sun
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology
- The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
- 210008 Nanjing
- China
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology
| | - Yunru Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering
- Southeast University
- 210096 Nanjing
- China
| | - Zhuoyue Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering
- Southeast University
- 210096 Nanjing
- China
| | - Feika Bian
- State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering
- Southeast University
- 210096 Nanjing
- China
| | - Fangfu Ye
- Wenzhou Institute
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Wenzhou
- China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics
| | - Lingyun Sun
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology
- The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
- 210008 Nanjing
- China
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology
| | - Yuanjin Zhao
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology
- The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
- 210008 Nanjing
- China
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology
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24
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Wong AOT, Wong G, Shen M, Chow MZY, Tse WW, Gurung B, Mak SY, Lieu DK, Costa KD, Chan CW, Martelli A, Nabhan JF, Li RA. Correlation between frataxin expression and contractility revealed by in vitro Friedreich's ataxia cardiac tissue models engineered from human pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Res Ther 2019; 10:203. [PMID: 31286988 PMCID: PMC6615274 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-019-1305-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2019] [Revised: 05/30/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive disease caused by a non-coding mutation in the first intron of the frataxin (FXN) gene that suppresses its expression. Compensatory hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and conduction system abnormalities in FRDA lead to cardiomyocyte (CM) death and fibrosis, consequently resulting in heart failure and arrhythmias. Murine models have been developed to study disease pathology in the past two decades; however, differences between human and mouse physiology and metabolism have limited the relevance of animal studies in cardiac disease conditions. To bridge this gap, we aimed to generate species-specific, functional in vitro experimental models of FRDA using 2-dimensional (2D) and 3-dimensional (3D) engineered cardiac tissues from FXN-deficient human pluripotent stem cell-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes (hPSC-hvCMs) and to compare their contractile and electrophysiological properties with healthy tissue constructs. METHODS Healthy control and FRDA patient-specific hPSC-hvCMs were derived by directed differentiation using a small molecule-based protocol reported previously. We engineered the hvCMs into our established human ventricular cardiac tissue strip (hvCTS) and human ventricular cardiac anisotropic sheet (hvCAS) models, and functional assays were performed on days 7-17 post-tissue fabrication to assess the electrophysiology and contractility of FRDA patient-derived and FXN-knockdown engineered tissues, in comparison with healthy controls. To further validate the disease model, forced expression of FXN was induced in FXN-deficient tissues to test if disease phenotypes could be rescued. RESULTS Here, we report for the first time the generation of human engineered tissue models of FRDA cardiomyopathy from hPSCs: FXN-deficient hvCTS displayed attenuated developed forces (by 70-80%) compared to healthy controls. High-resolution optical mapping of hvCAS with reduced FXN expression also revealed electrophysiological defects consistent with clinical observations, including action potential duration prolongation and maximum capture frequency reduction. Interestingly, a clear positive correlation between FXN expression and contractility was observed (ρ > 0.9), and restoration of FXN protein levels by lentiviral transduction rescued contractility defects in FXN-deficient hvCTS. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that human-based in vitro cardiac tissue models of FRDA provide a translational, disease-relevant biomimetic platform for the evaluation of novel therapeutics and to provide insight into FRDA disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gabriel Wong
- Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2V6 Canada
| | - Michael Shen
- Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2V6 Canada
| | | | - Wan Wai Tse
- Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2V6 Canada
| | - Bimal Gurung
- Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2V6 Canada
| | - Suet Yee Mak
- Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2V6 Canada
| | | | | | - Camie W. Chan
- Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2V6 Canada
| | - Alain Martelli
- Current address: Astellas Innovation Management Astellas Pharma, 1030 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
| | - Joseph F. Nabhan
- Current address: Astellas Innovation Management Astellas Pharma, 1030 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
| | - Ronald A. Li
- Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia V6C 2V6 Canada
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25
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Nguyen AH, Marsh P, Schmiess-Heine L, Burke PJ, Lee A, Lee J, Cao H. Cardiac tissue engineering: state-of-the-art methods and outlook. J Biol Eng 2019; 13:57. [PMID: 31297148 PMCID: PMC6599291 DOI: 10.1186/s13036-019-0185-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this review is to assess the state-of-the-art fabrication methods, advances in genome editing, and the use of machine learning to shape the prospective growth in cardiac tissue engineering. Those interdisciplinary emerging innovations would move forward basic research in this field and their clinical applications. The long-entrenched challenges in this field could be addressed by novel 3-dimensional (3D) scaffold substrates for cardiomyocyte (CM) growth and maturation. Stem cell-based therapy through genome editing techniques can repair gene mutation, control better maturation of CMs or even reveal its molecular clock. Finally, machine learning and precision control for improvements of the construct fabrication process and optimization in tissue-specific clonal selections with an outlook of cardiac tissue engineering are also presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anh H. Nguyen
- Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta Canada
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Paul Marsh
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Lauren Schmiess-Heine
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Peter J. Burke
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Abraham Lee
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
| | - Juhyun Lee
- Bioengineering Department, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX USA
| | - Hung Cao
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Biomedical Engineering Department, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA USA
- Henry Samueli School of Engineering, University of California, Irvine, USA
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26
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Keung W, Chan PKW, Backeris PC, Lee EK, Wong N, Wong AOT, Wong GKY, Chan CWY, Fermini B, Costa KD, Li RA. Human Cardiac Ventricular-Like Organoid Chambers and Tissue Strips From Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Two-Tiered Assay for Inotropic Responses. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2019; 106:402-414. [PMID: 30723889 DOI: 10.1002/cpt.1385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Traditional drug discovery is an inefficient process. Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes can potentially fill the gap between animal and clinical studies, but conventional two-dimensional cultures inadequately recapitulate the human cardiac phenotype. Here, we systematically examined the pharmacological responses of engineered human ventricular-like cardiac tissue strips (hvCTS) and organoid chambers (hvCOC) to 25 cardioactive compounds covering various drug classes. While hvCTS effectively detected negative and null inotropic effects, the sensitivity to positive inotropes was modest. We further quantified the predictive capacity of hvCTS in a blinded screening, with accuracies for negative, positive, and null inotropic effects at 100%, 86%, and 80%, respectively. Interestingly, hvCOC, with a pro-maturation milieu that yields physiologically complex parameters, displayed enhanced positive inotropy. Based on these results, we propose a two-tiered screening system for avoiding false positives and negatives. Such an approach would facilitate drug discovery by leading to better overall success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wendy Keung
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Patrick K W Chan
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Peter C Backeris
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York,, USA
| | | | - Nicodemus Wong
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | | | | | | | - Bernard Fermini
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Pfizer Worldwide Research and Development, Groton, Connecticut, USA
| | - Kevin D Costa
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York,, USA.,Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Ronald A Li
- Ming Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Shatin, Hong Kong.,Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.,Novoheart, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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27
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Xu B, Magli A, Anugrah Y, Koester SJ, Perlingeiro RCR, Shen W. Nanotopography-responsive myotube alignment and orientation as a sensitive phenotypic biomarker for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Biomaterials 2018; 183:54-66. [PMID: 30149230 PMCID: PMC6239205 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.08.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal genetic disorder currently having no cure. Here we report that culture substrates patterned with nanogrooves and functionalized with Matrigel (or laminin) present an engineered cell microenvironment to allow myotubes derived from non-diseased, less-affected DMD, and severely-affected DMD human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to exhibit prominent differences in alignment and orientation, providing a sensitive phenotypic biomarker to potentially facilitate DMD drug development and early diagnosis. We discovered that myotubes differentiated from myogenic progenitors derived from non-diseased hiPSCs align nearly perpendicular to nanogrooves, a phenomenon not reported previously. We further found that myotubes derived from hiPSCs of a dystrophin-null DMD patient orient randomly, and those from hiPSCs of a patient carrying partially functional dystrophin align approximately 14° off the alignment direction of non-diseased myotubes. Substrates engineered with micron-scale grooves and/or cell adhesion molecules only interacting with integrins all guide parallel myotube alignment to grooves and lose the ability to distinguish different cell types. Disruption of the interaction between the Dystrophin-Associated-Protein-Complex (DAPC) and laminin by heparin or anti-α-dystroglycan antibody IIH6 disenables myotubes to align perpendicular to nanogrooves, suggesting that this phenotype is controlled by the DAPC-mediated cytoskeleton-extracellular matrix linkage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Xu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Alessandro Magli
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yoska Anugrah
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Steven J Koester
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Institute for Engineering in Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Rita C R Perlingeiro
- Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Institute for Engineering in Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
| | - Wei Shen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Institute for Engineering in Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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28
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Li RA, Keung W, Cashman TJ, Backeris PC, Johnson BV, Bardot ES, Wong AOT, Chan PKW, Chan CWY, Costa KD. Bioengineering an electro-mechanically functional miniature ventricular heart chamber from human pluripotent stem cells. Biomaterials 2018; 163:116-127. [PMID: 29459321 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Tissue engineers and stem cell biologists have made exciting progress toward creating simplified models of human heart muscles or aligned monolayers to help bridge a longstanding gap between experimental animals and clinical trials. However, no existing human in vitro systems provide the direct measures of cardiac performance as a pump. Here, we developed a next-generation in vitro biomimetic model of pumping human heart chamber, and demonstrated its capability for pharmaceutical testing. From human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes (hvCM) embedded in collagen-based extracellular matrix hydrogel, we engineered a three-dimensional (3D) electro-mechanically coupled, fluid-ejecting miniature human ventricle-like cardiac organoid chamber (hvCOC). Structural characterization showed organized sarcomeres with myofibrillar microstructures. Transcript and RNA-seq analyses revealed upregulation of key Ca2+-handling, ion channel, and cardiac-specific proteins in hvCOC compared to lower-order 2D and 3D cultures of the same constituent cells. Clinically-important, physiologically complex contractile parameters such as ejection fraction, developed pressure, and stroke work, as well as electrophysiological properties including action potential and conduction velocity were measured: hvCOC displayed key molecular and physiological characteristics of the native ventricle, and showed expected mechanical and electrophysiological responses to a range of pharmacological interventions (including positive and negative inotropes). We conclude that such "human-heart-in-a-jar" technology could facilitate the drug discovery process by providing human-specific preclinical data during early stage drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronald A Li
- Ming-Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong-Karolinska Institutet Collaboration on Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; Novoheart Limited, Shatin, Hong Kong.
| | - Wendy Keung
- Ming-Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong-Karolinska Institutet Collaboration on Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Timothy J Cashman
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter C Backeris
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bryce V Johnson
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Evan S Bardot
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andy O T Wong
- Dr. Li Dak-Sum Research Centre, The University of Hong Kong-Karolinska Institutet Collaboration on Regenerative Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Patrick K W Chan
- Ming-Wai Lau Centre for Reparative Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden; Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
| | - Camie W Y Chan
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong; Novoheart Limited, Shatin, Hong Kong
| | - Kevin D Costa
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Novoheart Limited, Shatin, Hong Kong.
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