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Maihemuti W, Murata K, Abulaiti M, Minatoya K, Masumoto H. Simultaneous electro-dynamic stimulation accelerates maturation of engineered cardiac tissues generated by human iPS cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 733:150605. [PMID: 39197194 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.150605] [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: 08/05/2024] [Revised: 08/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024]
Abstract
Electrical and dynamic stimulation are commonly employed to enhance the maturation of engineered cardiac tissue (ECT) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), reflecting the physiological environment of the heart. While electrical stimulation mimics natural bioelectrical signals and dynamic stimulation replicates mechanical forces, the combined effects of these stimuli on ECT maturation have not been thoroughly explored. We hypothesized that simultaneous electro-dynamic stimulation would enhance ECT maturation and function more effectively than either stimulus alone. Human iPSC-derived cardiovascular cells were co-cultured with Collagen I and Matrigel for 2 weeks, followed by a comparative analysis of four groups: no stimulation, dynamic stimulation, electrical stimulation, and simultaneous electro-dynamic stimulation. The functionality of ECTs was assessed by measuring contractile capacity and calcium indicators, and histological assessments examined structural maturation. Our results demonstrated that simultaneous electro-dynamic stimulation significantly increased the CM component, elevated TNNT2 mRNA expression levels, and enhanced calcium transient capacity. Additionally, ECTs subjected to simultaneous stimulation exhibited a positive force-frequency relationship in contractility and an elevation in peak calcium flux, indicative of advanced tissue maturation. Moreover, simultaneous stimulation promoted vascular network formation within the ECTs, suggesting improved structural organization. These findings underscore the importance of simultaneous stimulation for developing effective cardiac tissue engineering strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wusiman Maihemuti
- Clinical Translational Research Program, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Kozue Murata
- Clinical Translational Research Program, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mosha Abulaiti
- Clinical Translational Research Program, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan
| | - Kenji Minatoya
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Masumoto
- Clinical Translational Research Program, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan; Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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2
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Finklea FB, Hashemi M, Tian Y, Hammons H, Halloin C, Triebert W, Zweigerdt R, Lipke EA. Chemically defined production of engineered cardiac tissue microspheres from hydrogel-encapsulated pluripotent stem cells. Biotechnol Bioeng 2024. [PMID: 39104025 DOI: 10.1002/bit.28818] [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: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 08/07/2024]
Abstract
Chemically defined, suspension culture conditions are a key requirement in realizing clinical translation of engineered cardiac tissues (ECTs). Building on our previous work producing functional ECT microspheres through differentiation of biomaterial encapsulated human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), here we establish the ability to use chemically defined culture conditions, including stem cell media (E8) and cardiac differentiation media (chemically defined differentiation media with three components, CDM3). A custom microfluidic cell encapsulation system was used to encapsulate hiPSCs at a range of initial cell concentrations and diameters in the hybrid biomaterial, poly(ethylene glycol)-fibrinogen (PF), for the formation of highly spherical and uniform ECT microspheres for subsequent cardiac differentiation. Initial microsphere diameter could be tightly controlled, and microspheres could be produced with an initial diameter between 400 and 800 µm. Three days after encapsulation, cardiac differentiation was initiated through small molecule modulation of Wnt signaling in CDM3. Cardiac differentiation occurred resulting in in situ ECT formation; results showed that this differentiation protocol could be used to achieve cardiomyocyte (CM) contents greater than 90%, although there was relatively high variability in CM content and yield between differentiation batches. Spontaneous contraction of ECT microspheres initiated between Days 7 and 10 of differentiation and ECT microspheres responded to electrical pacing up to 1.5 Hz. Resulting CMs had well-defined sarcomeres and the gap junction protein, connexin 43, and had appropriate temporal changes in gene expression. In summary, this study demonstrated the proof-of-concept to produce functional ECT microspheres with chemically defined media in suspension culture in combination with biomaterial support of microsphere encapsulated hiPSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdous B Finklea
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | | | - Yuan Tian
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Hanna Hammons
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Caroline Halloin
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Wiebke Triebert
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Robert Zweigerdt
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A Lipke
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
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3
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Xu F, Jin H, Liu L, Yang Y, Cen J, Wu Y, Chen S, Sun D. Architecture design and advanced manufacturing of heart-on-a-chip: scaffolds, stimulation and sensors. MICROSYSTEMS & NANOENGINEERING 2024; 10:96. [PMID: 39006908 PMCID: PMC11239895 DOI: 10.1038/s41378-024-00692-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Heart-on-a-chip (HoC) has emerged as a highly efficient, cost-effective device for the development of engineered cardiac tissue, facilitating high-throughput testing in drug development and clinical treatment. HoC is primarily used to create a biomimetic microphysiological environment conducive to fostering the maturation of cardiac tissue and to gather information regarding the real-time condition of cardiac tissue. The development of architectural design and advanced manufacturing for these "3S" components, scaffolds, stimulation, and sensors is essential for improving the maturity of cardiac tissue cultivated on-chip, as well as the precision and accuracy of tissue states. In this review, the typical structures and manufacturing technologies of the "3S" components are summarized. The design and manufacturing suggestions for each component are proposed. Furthermore, key challenges and future perspectives of HoC platforms with integrated "3S" components are discussed. Architecture design concepts of scaffolds, stimulation and sensors in chips.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Xu
- Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102 China
| | - Hang Jin
- Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102 China
| | - Lingling Liu
- Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102 China
| | - Yuanyuan Yang
- Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102 China
| | - Jianzheng Cen
- Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangzhou, 510080 China
| | - Yaobin Wu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515 China
| | - Songyue Chen
- Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102 China
| | - Daoheng Sun
- Pen-Tung Sah Institute of Micro-Nano Science and Technology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102 China
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4
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Andrée B, Voß N, Kriedemann N, Triebert W, Teske J, Mertens M, Witte M, Szádocka S, Hilfiker A, Aper T, Gruh I, Zweigerdt R. Fabrication of heart tubes from iPSC derived cardiomyocytes and human fibrinogen by rotating mold technology. Sci Rep 2024; 14:13174. [PMID: 38849457 PMCID: PMC11161509 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64022-7] [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: 03/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Due to its structural and functional complexity the heart imposes immense physical, physiological and electromechanical challenges on the engineering of a biological replacement. Therefore, to come closer to clinical translation, the development of a simpler biological assist device is requested. Here, we demonstrate the fabrication of tubular cardiac constructs with substantial dimensions of 6 cm in length and 11 mm in diameter by combining human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) and human foreskin fibroblast (hFFs) in human fibrin employing a rotating mold technology. By centrifugal forces employed in the process a cell-dense layer was generated enabling a timely functional coupling of iPSC-CMs demonstrated by a transgenic calcium sensor, rhythmic tissue contractions, and responsiveness to electrical pacing. Adjusting the degree of remodeling as a function of hFF-content and inhibition of fibrinolysis resulted in stable tissue integrity for up to 5 weeks. The rotating mold device developed in frame of this work enabled the production of tubes with clinically relevant dimensions of up to 10 cm in length and 22 mm in diameter which-in combination with advanced bioreactor technology for controlled production of functional iPSC-derivatives-paves the way towards the clinical translation of a biological cardiac assist device.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Andrée
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Nils Voß
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Nils Kriedemann
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Wiebke Triebert
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jana Teske
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Mira Mertens
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Merlin Witte
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sára Szádocka
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Andres Hilfiker
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Aper
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ina Gruh
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Robert Zweigerdt
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, MHH-Hannover Medical School, Carl Neuberg Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
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5
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Gokhan I, Blum TS, Campbell SG. Engineered heart tissue: Design considerations and the state of the art. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2024; 5:021308. [PMID: 38912258 PMCID: PMC11192576 DOI: 10.1063/5.0202724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/25/2024]
Abstract
Originally developed more than 20 years ago, engineered heart tissue (EHT) has become an important tool in cardiovascular research for applications such as disease modeling and drug screening. Innovations in biomaterials, stem cell biology, and bioengineering, among other fields, have enabled EHT technologies to recapitulate many aspects of cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. While initial EHT designs were inspired by the isolated-trabecula culture system, current designs encompass a variety of formats, each of which have unique strengths and limitations. In this review, we describe the most common EHT formats, and then systematically evaluate each aspect of their design, emphasizing the rational selection of components for each application.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas S. Blum
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, USA
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Jorba I, Gussenhoven S, van der Pol A, Groenen BG, van Zon M, Goumans MJ, Kurniawan NA, Ristori T, Bouten CV. Steering cell orientation through light-based spatiotemporal modulation of the mechanical environment. Biofabrication 2024; 16:035011. [PMID: 38574554 DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ad3aa6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
The anisotropic organization of cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) is essential for the physiological function of numerous biological tissues, including the myocardium. This organization changes gradually in space and time, during disease progression such as myocardial infarction. The role of mechanical stimuli has been demonstrated to be essential in obtaining, maintaining and de-railing this organization, but the underlying mechanisms are scarcely known. To enable the study of the mechanobiological mechanisms involved,in vitrotechniques able to spatiotemporally control the multiscale tissue mechanical environment are thus necessary. Here, by using light-sensitive materials combined with light-illumination techniques, we fabricated 2D and 3Din vitromodel systems exposing cells to multiscale, spatiotemporally resolved stiffness anisotropies. Specifically, spatial stiffness anisotropies spanning from micron-sized (cellular) to millimeter-sized (tissue) were achieved. Moreover, the light-sensitive materials allowed to introduce the stiffness anisotropies at defined timepoints (hours) after cell seeding, facilitating the study of their temporal effects on cell and tissue orientation. The systems were tested using cardiac fibroblasts (cFBs), which are known to be crucial for the remodeling of anisotropic cardiac tissue. We observed that 2D stiffness micropatterns induced cFBs anisotropic alignment, independent of the stimulus timing, but dependent on the micropattern spacing. cFBs exhibited organized alignment also in response to 3D stiffness macropatterns, dependent on the stimulus timing and temporally followed by (slower) ECM co-alignment. In conclusion, the developed model systems allow improved fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanobiological factors that steer cell and ECM orientation, such as stiffness guidance and boundary constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignasi Jorba
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Sil Gussenhoven
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Atze van der Pol
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Bart Gw Groenen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten van Zon
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Marie José Goumans
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Nicholas A Kurniawan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Tommaso Ristori
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
| | - Carlijn Vc Bouten
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
- Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), PO Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
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7
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Karakan MÇ, Ewoldt JK, Segarra AJ, Sundaram S, Wang MC, White AE, Chen CS, Ekinci KL. Geometry and length control of 3D engineered heart tissues using direct laser writing. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:1685-1701. [PMID: 38317604 PMCID: PMC10929702 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00752a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Geometry and mechanical characteristics of the environment surrounding the Engineered Heart Tissues (EHT) affect their structure and function. Here, we employed a 3D tissue culture platform fabricated using two-photon direct laser writing with a high degree of accuracy to control parameters that are relevant to EHT maturation. Using this platform, we first explore the effects of geometry based on two distinct shapes: a rectangular seeding well with two attachment sites, and a stadium-like seeding well with six attachment sites that are placed symmetrically along hemicylindrical membranes. The former geometry promotes uniaxial contraction of the tissues; the latter additionally induces diagonal fiber alignment. We systematically increase the length of the seeding wells for both configurations and observe a positive correlation between fiber alignment at the center of the EHTs and tissue length. With increasing length, an undesirable thinning and "necking" also emerge, leading to the failure of longer tissues over time. In the second step, we optimize the stiffness of the seeding wells and modify some of the attachment sites of the platform and the seeding parameters to achieve tissue stability for each length and geometry. Furthermore, we use the platform for electrical pacing and calcium imaging to evaluate the functional dynamics of EHTs as a function of frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Çağatay Karakan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
- Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jourdan K Ewoldt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Addianette J Segarra
- Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, San Juan 00918, Puerto Rico
| | - Subramanian Sundaram
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Miranda C Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Alice E White
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
- Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Christopher S Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Kamil L Ekinci
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
- Photonics Center, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Division of Materials Science and Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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Li J, Hua Y, Liu Y, Qu X, Zhang J, Ishida M, Yoshida N, Tabata A, Miyoshi H, Shiba M, Higo S, Sougawa N, Takeda M, Kawamura T, Matsuura R, Okuzaki D, Toyofuku T, Sawa Y, Liu L, Miyagawa S. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived closed-loop cardiac tissue for drug assessment. iScience 2024; 27:108992. [PMID: 38333703 PMCID: PMC10850789 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108992] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) exhibit functional immaturity, potentially impacting their suitability for assessing drug proarrhythmic potential. We previously devised a traveling wave (TW) system to promote maturation in 3D cardiac tissue. To align with current drug assessment paradigms (CiPA and JiCSA), necessitating a 2D monolayer cardiac tissue, we integrated the TW system with a multi-electrode array. This gave rise to a hiPSC-derived closed-loop cardiac tissue (iCT), enabling spontaneous TW initiation and swift pacing of cardiomyocytes from various cell lines. The TW-paced cardiomyocytes demonstrated heightened sarcomeric and functional maturation, exhibiting enhanced response to isoproterenol. Moreover, these cells showcased diminished sensitivity to verapamil and maintained low arrhythmia rates with ranolazine-two drugs associated with a low risk of torsades de pointes (TdP). Notably, the TW group displayed increased arrhythmia rates with high and intermediate risk TdP drugs (quinidine and pimozide), underscoring the potential utility of this system in drug assessment applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjun Li
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Ying Hua
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yuting Liu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Xiang Qu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Jingbo Zhang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Masako Ishida
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Noriko Yoshida
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Akiko Tabata
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hayato Miyoshi
- Fujifilm Corporation, Ashigarakami 258-8577, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Mikio Shiba
- Cardiovascular Division, Osaka Police Hospital, Tennoji 543-0035, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shuichiro Higo
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
- Department of Medical Therapeutics for Heart Failure, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
| | - Nagako Sougawa
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
- Department of Physiology, Osaka Dental University, 8-1 Kuzuha Hanazono-cho, Hirakata 573-1121, Osaka, Japan
| | - Maki Takeda
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takuji Kawamura
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Ryohei Matsuura
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Daisuke Okuzaki
- Laboratory of Human Immunology (Single Cell Genomics), WPI Immunology Research Center, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
- Genome Information Research Center, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Toyofuku
- Department of Immunology and Molecular Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Sawa
- Department of Future Medicine, Division of Health Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Shigeru Miyagawa
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
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9
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Gu B, Han K, Cao H, Huang X, Li X, Mao M, Zhu H, Cai H, Li D, He J. Heart-on-a-chip systems with tissue-specific functionalities for physiological, pathological, and pharmacological studies. Mater Today Bio 2024; 24:100914. [PMID: 38179431 PMCID: PMC10765251 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in heart-on-a-chip systems hold great promise to facilitate cardiac physiological, pathological, and pharmacological studies. This review focuses on the development of heart-on-a-chip systems with tissue-specific functionalities. For one thing, the strategies for developing cardiac microtissues on heart-on-a-chip systems that closely mimic the structures and behaviors of the native heart are analyzed, including the imitation of cardiac structural and functional characteristics. For another, the development of techniques for real-time monitoring of biophysical and biochemical signals from cardiac microtissues on heart-on-a-chip systems is introduced, incorporating cardiac electrophysiological signals, contractile activity, and biomarkers. Furthermore, the applications of heart-on-a-chip systems in intelligent cardiac studies are discussed regarding physiological/pathological research and pharmacological assessment. Finally, the future development of heart-on-a-chip toward a higher level of systematization, integration, and maturation is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bingsong Gu
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Medical Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Kang Han
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Medical Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Hanbo Cao
- Shaanxi Provincial Institute for Food and Drug Control, Xi’ an, 710065, China
| | - Xinxin Huang
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Medical Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Xiao Li
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Medical Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Mao Mao
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Medical Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Hui Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Medical Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Hu Cai
- Shaanxi Provincial Institute for Food and Drug Control, Xi’ an, 710065, China
| | - Dichen Li
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Medical Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
| | - Jiankang He
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing System Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi’ an, 710049, China
- National Innovation Platform (Center) for Industry-Education Integration of Medical Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, China
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10
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Strash N, DeLuca S, Janer Carattini GL, Chen Y, Wu T, Helfer A, Scherba J, Wang I, Jain M, Naseri R, Bursac N. Time-dependent effects of BRAF-V600E on cell cycling, metabolism, and function in engineered myocardium. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadh2598. [PMID: 38266090 PMCID: PMC10807800 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh2598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Candidate cardiomyocyte (CM) mitogens such as those affecting the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway represent potential targets for functional heart regeneration. We explored whether activating ERK via a constitutively active mutant of B-raf proto-oncogene (BRAF), BRAF-V600E (caBRAF), can induce proproliferative effects in neonatal rat engineered cardiac tissues (ECTs). Sustained CM-specific caBRAF expression induced chronic ERK activation, substantial tissue growth, deficit in sarcomeres and contractile function, and tissue stiffening, all of which persisted for at least 4 weeks of culture. caBRAF-expressing CMs in ECTs exhibited broad transcriptomic changes, shift to glycolytic metabolism, loss of connexin-43, and a promigratory phenotype. Transient, doxycycline-controlled caBRAF expression revealed that the induction of CM cycling is rapid and precedes functional decline, and the effects are reversible only with short-lived ERK activation. Together, direct activation of the BRAF kinase is sufficient to modulate CM cycling and functional phenotype, offering mechanistic insights into roles of ERK signaling in the context of cardiac development and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sophia DeLuca
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | | | - Yifan Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Tianyu Wu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Abbigail Helfer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Jacob Scherba
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Isabella Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Mehul Jain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Ramona Naseri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Nenad Bursac
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
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11
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Strohm EM, Callaghan NI, Ding Y, Latifi N, Rafatian N, Funakoshi S, Fernandes I, Reitz CJ, Di Paola M, Gramolini AO, Radisic M, Keller G, Kolios MC, Simmons CA. Noninvasive Quantification of Contractile Dynamics in Cardiac Cells, Spheroids, and Organs-on-a-Chip Using High-Frequency Ultrasound. ACS NANO 2024; 18:314-327. [PMID: 38147684 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c06325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Cell-based models that mimic in vivo heart physiology are poised to make significant advances in cardiac disease modeling and drug discovery. In these systems, cardiomyocyte (CM) contractility is an important functional metric, but current measurement methods are inaccurate and low-throughput or require complex setups. To address this need, we developed a standalone noninvasive, label-free ultrasound technique operating at 40-200 MHz to measure the contractile kinetics of cardiac models, ranging from single adult CMs to 3D microtissue constructs in standard cell culture formats. The high temporal resolution of 1000 fps resolved the beat profile of single mouse CMs paced at up to 9 Hz, revealing limitations of lower speed optical based measurements to resolve beat kinetics or characterize aberrant beats. Coupling of ultrasound with traction force microscopy enabled the measurement of the CM longitudinal modulus and facile estimation of adult mouse CM contractile forces of 2.34 ± 1.40 μN, comparable to more complex measurement techniques. Similarly, the beat rate, rhythm, and drug responses of CM spheroid and microtissue models were measured, including in configurations without optical access. In conclusion, ultrasound can be used for the rapid characterization of CM contractile function in a wide range of commonly studied configurations ranging from single cells to 3D tissue constructs using standard well plates and custom microdevices, with applications in cardiac drug discovery and cardiotoxicity evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Strohm
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G8, Canada
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Neal I Callaghan
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Yu Ding
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Neda Latifi
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G8, Canada
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
| | - Naimeh Rafatian
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, M5G 2C4, Canada
| | - Shunsuke Funakoshi
- McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Ian Fernandes
- McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Cristine J Reitz
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Michelle Di Paola
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Anthony O Gramolini
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Milica Radisic
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G9, Canada
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, Toronto, M5G 2C4, Canada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Gordon Keller
- McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Michael C Kolios
- Department of Physics, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, M5B 2K3, Canada
| | - Craig A Simmons
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G8, Canada
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Center for Heart Research, Toronto, M5G 1M1, Canada
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, M5S 3G9, Canada
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12
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Fuchs MA, Burke EJ, Latic N, Murray S, Li H, Sparks M, Abraham D, Zhang H, Rosenberg P, Hänzelmann S, Hausmann F, Huber T, Erben R, Fisher-Wellman K, Bursac N, Wolf M, Grabner A. Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) 23 and FGF Receptor 4 promote cardiac metabolic remodeling in chronic kidney disease. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-3705543. [PMID: 38196615 PMCID: PMC10775858 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3705543/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a global health epidemic that significantly increases mortality due to cardiovascular disease. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an important mechanism of cardiac injury in CKD. High serum levels of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 23 in patients with CKD may contribute mechanistically to the pathogenesis of LVH by activating FGF receptor (FGFR) 4 signaling in cardiac myocytes. Mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiac metabolic remodeling are early features of cardiac injury that predate development of hypertrophy, but these mechanisms of disease have been insufficiently studied in models of CKD. Wild-type mice with CKD induced by adenine diet developed LVH that was preceded by morphological changes in mitochondrial structure and evidence of cardiac mitochondrial and metabolic dysfunction. In bioengineered cardio-bundles and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes grown in vitro, FGF23-mediated activation of FGFR4 caused a mitochondrial pathology, characterized by increased bioenergetic stress and increased glycolysis, that preceded the development of cellular hypertrophy. The cardiac metabolic changes and associated mitochondrial alterations in mice with CKD were prevented by global or cardiac-specific deletion of FGFR4. These findings indicate that metabolic remodeling and eventually mitochondrial dysfunction are early cardiac complications of CKD that precede structural remodeling of the heart. Mechanistically, FGF23-mediated activation of FGFR4 causes mitochondrial dysfunction, suggesting that early pharmacologic inhibition of FGFR4 might serve as novel therapeutic intervention to prevent development of LVH and heart failure in patients with CKD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michaela A. Fuchs
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Emily J. Burke
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nejla Latic
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susan Murray
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hanjun Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, USA
| | - Matthew Sparks
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dennis Abraham
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Hengtao Zhang
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Paul Rosenberg
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sonja Hänzelmann
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Center for Kidney Health (HCKH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Fabian Hausmann
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Center for Kidney Health (HCKH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Huber
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Center for Kidney Health (HCKH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Reinhold Erben
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Osteology, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria
| | - Kelsey Fisher-Wellman
- East Carolina Diabetes and Obesity Institute, Brody School of Medicine, Department of Physiology, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
- UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Nenad Bursac
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, USA
- Duke Regeneration Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Myles Wolf
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alexander Grabner
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Center for Kidney Health (HCKH), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- Duke Regeneration Center, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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13
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Windt LM, Wiendels M, Dostanić M, Bellin M, Sarro PM, Mastrangeli M, Mummery CL, van Meer BJ. Miniaturized engineered heart tissues from hiPSC-derived triple cell type co-cultures to study human cardiac function. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 681:200-211. [PMID: 37783118 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.09.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Human heart tissues grown as three-dimensional spheroids and consisting of different cardiac cell types derived from pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) recapitulate aspects of human physiology better than standard two-dimensional models in vitro. They typically consist of less than 5000 cells and are used to measure contraction kinetics although not contraction force. By contrast, engineered heart tissues (EHTs) formed around two flexible pillars, can measure contraction force but conventional EHTs often require between 0.5 and 2 million cells. This makes large-scale screening of many EHTs costly. Our goals here were (i) to create a physiologically relevant model that required fewer cells than standard EHTs making them less expensive, and (ii) to ensure that this miniaturized model retained correct functionality. We demonstrated that fully functional EHTs could be generated from physiologically relevant combinations of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (70%), cardiac fibroblasts (15%) and cardiac endothelial cells (15%), using as few as 1.6 × 104 cells. Our results showed that these EHTs were viable and functional up to 14 days after formation. The EHTs could be electrically paced in the frequency range between 0.6 and 3 Hz, with the optimum between 0.6 and 2 Hz. This was consistent across three downscaled EHT sizes tested. These findings suggest that miniaturized EHTs could represent a cost-effective microphysiological system for disease modelling and examining drug responses particularly in secondary screens for drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- L M Windt
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - M Wiendels
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - M Dostanić
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands; Microelectronics, TU Delft, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - M Bellin
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy; Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy
| | - P M Sarro
- Microelectronics, TU Delft, Delft, the Netherlands
| | | | - C L Mummery
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - B J van Meer
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, LUMC, Leiden, the Netherlands; Sync Biosystems, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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14
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Kaplan JL, Rivas VN, Connolly DJ. Advancing Treatments for Feline Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: The Role of Animal Models and Targeted Therapeutics. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract 2023; 53:1293-1308. [PMID: 37414693 DOI: 10.1016/j.cvsm.2023.05.011] [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: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Feline HCM is the most common cardiovascular disease in cats, leading to devastating outcomes, including congestive heart failure (CHF), arterial thromboembolism (ATE), and sudden death. Evidence demonstrating long-term survival benefit with currently available therapies is lacking. Therefore, it is imperative to explore intricate genetic and molecular pathways that drive HCM pathophysiology to inspire the development of novel therapeutics. Several clinical trials exploring new drug therapies are currently underway, including those investigating small molecule inhibitors and rapamycin. This article outlines the key work performed using cellular and animal models that has led to and continues to guide the development of new innovative therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna L Kaplan
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
| | - Victor N Rivas
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - David J Connolly
- Department of Clinical Science and Services, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
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15
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Soni SS, D'Elia AM, Rodell CB. Control of the post-infarct immune microenvironment through biotherapeutic and biomaterial-based approaches. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2023; 13:1983-2014. [PMID: 36763330 PMCID: PMC9913034 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-023-01290-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Ischemic heart failure (IHF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, for which heart transplantation remains the only definitive treatment. IHF manifests from myocardial infarction (MI) that initiates tissue remodeling processes, mediated by mechanical changes in the tissue (loss of contractility, softening of the myocardium) that are interdependent with cellular mechanisms (cardiomyocyte death, inflammatory response). The early remodeling phase is characterized by robust inflammation that is necessary for tissue debridement and the initiation of repair processes. While later transition toward an immunoregenerative function is desirable, functional reorientation from an inflammatory to reparatory environment is often lacking, trapping the heart in a chronically inflamed state that perpetuates cardiomyocyte death, ventricular dilatation, excess fibrosis, and progressive IHF. Therapies can redirect the immune microenvironment, including biotherapeutic and biomaterial-based approaches. In this review, we outline these existing approaches, with a particular focus on the immunomodulatory effects of therapeutics (small molecule drugs, biomolecules, and cell or cell-derived products). Cardioprotective strategies, often focusing on immunosuppression, have shown promise in pre-clinical and clinical trials. However, immunoregenerative therapies are emerging that often benefit from exacerbating early inflammation. Biomaterials can be used to enhance these therapies as a result of their intrinsic immunomodulatory properties, parallel mechanisms of action (e.g., mechanical restraint), or by enabling cell or tissue-targeted delivery. We further discuss translatability and the continued progress of technologies and procedures that contribute to the bench-to-bedside development of these critically needed treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shreya S Soni
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Arielle M D'Elia
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Christopher B Rodell
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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16
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Zhang Q, Zhan R, Patsy M, Li B, Chen Y, Lipes BD, Bursac N, Truskey GA. Differential Response of Engineered Human Cardiac Tissues to Delta and Omicron COVID-19 Virus. J Am Heart Assoc 2023; 12:e029390. [PMID: 37301746 PMCID: PMC10356039 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.123.029390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Qiao Zhang
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | - Ren‐Zhi Zhan
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | - Marisa Patsy
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | - Binjie Li
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | - Yifan Chen
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | - Barbara D. Lipes
- Department of MedicineDuke University School of MedicineDurhamNCUSA
| | - Nenad Bursac
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
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17
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Mao M, Qu X, Zhang Y, Gu B, Li C, Liu R, Li X, Zhu H, He J, Li D. Leaf-venation-directed cellular alignment for macroscale cardiac constructs with tissue-like functionalities. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2077. [PMID: 37045852 PMCID: PMC10097867 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37716-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Recapitulating the complex structural, mechanical, and electrophysiological properties of native myocardium is crucial to engineering functional cardiac tissues. Here, we report a leaf-venation-directed strategy that enables the compaction and remodeling of cell-hydrogel hybrids into highly aligned and densely packed organizations in predetermined patterns. This strategy contributes to interconnected tubular structures with cell alignment along the hierarchical channels. Compared to randomly-distributed cells, the engineered leaf-venation-directed-cardiac tissues from neonatal rat cardiomyocytes manifest advanced maturation and functionality as evidenced by detectable electrophysiological activity, macroscopically synchronous contractions, and upregulated maturation genes. As a demonstration, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived leaf-venation-directed-cardiac tissues are engineered with evident structural and functional improvement over time. With the elastic scaffolds, leaf-venation-directed tissues are assembled into 3D centimeter-scale cardiac constructs with programmed mechanical properties, which can be delivered through tubing without affecting cell viability. The present strategy may generate cardiac constructs with multifaceted functionalities to meet clinical demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mao Mao
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
| | - Xiaoli Qu
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
| | - Yabo Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
| | - Bingsong Gu
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
| | - Chen Li
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
| | - Rongzhi Liu
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
| | - Xiao Li
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
| | - Hui Zhu
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
| | - Jiankang He
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China.
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China.
| | - Dichen Li
- State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
- NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Additive Manufacturing Medical Devices, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, PR China
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18
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Sesena-Rubfiaro A, Prajapati NJ, Paolino L, Lou L, Cotayo D, Pandey P, Shaver M, Hutcheson J, Agarwal A, He J. Membrane Remodeling of Human-Engineered Cardiac Tissue by Chronic Electric Stimulation. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2023; 9:1644-1655. [PMID: 36765460 PMCID: PMC10542861 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.2c01370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) show immature features, but these are improved by integration into 3D cardiac constructs. In addition, it has been demonstrated that physical manipulations such as electrical stimulation (ES) are highly effective in improving the maturation of human-engineered cardiac tissue (hECT) derived from hiPSC-CMs. Here, we continuously applied an ES in capacitive coupling configuration, which is below the pacing threshold, to millimeter-sized hECTs for 1-2 weeks. Meanwhile, the structural and functional developments of the hECTs were monitored and measured using an array of assays. Of particular note, a nanoscale imaging technique, scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM), has been used to directly image membrane remodeling of CMs at different locations on the tissue surface. Periodic crest/valley patterns with a distance close to the sarcomere length appeared on the membrane of CMs near the edge of the tissue after ES, suggesting the enhanced transverse tubulation network. The SICM observation is also supported by the fluorescence images of the transverse tubulation network and α-actinin. Correspondingly, essential cardiac functions such as calcium handling and contraction force generation were improved. Our study provides evidence that chronic subthreshold ES can still improve the structural and functional developments of hECTs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Navin J. Prajapati
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Lia Paolino
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Lihua Lou
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Daniel Cotayo
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Popular Pandey
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Mohammed Shaver
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
| | - Joshua Hutcheson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
- Biomolecular Science Institute, Florida International University, Miami FL 33199, USA
| | - Arvind Agarwal
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Jin He
- Department of Physics, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
- Biomolecular Science Institute, Florida International University, Miami FL 33199, USA
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19
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Paz-Artigas L, Montero-Calle P, Iglesias-García O, Mazo MM, Ochoa I, Ciriza J. Current approaches for the recreation of cardiac ischaemic environment in vitro. Int J Pharm 2023; 632:122589. [PMID: 36623742 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2023.122589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Myocardial ischaemia is one of the leading dead causes worldwide. Although animal experiments have historically provided a wealth of information, animal models are time and money consuming, and they usually miss typical human patient's characteristics associated with ischemia prevalence, including aging and comorbidities. Generating reliable in vitro models that recapitulate the human cardiac microenvironment during an ischaemic event can boost the development of new drugs and therapeutic strategies, as well as our understanding of the underlying cellular and molecular events, helping the optimization of therapeutic approaches prior to animal and clinical testing. Although several culture systems have emerged for the recreation of cardiac physiology, mimicking the features of an ischaemic heart tissue in vitro is challenging and certain aspects of the disease process remain poorly addressed. Here, current in vitro cardiac culture systems used for modelling cardiac ischaemia, from self-aggregated organoids to scaffold-based constructs and heart-on-chip platforms are described. The advantages of these models to recreate ischaemic hallmarks such as oxygen gradients, pathological alterations of mechanical strength or fibrotic responses are highlighted. The new models represent a step forward to be considered, but unfortunately, we are far away from recapitulating all complexity of the clinical situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Paz-Artigas
- Tissue Microenvironment (TME) Lab, Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain; Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS Aragón), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Pilar Montero-Calle
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Olalla Iglesias-García
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Manuel M Mazo
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain; Hematology and Cell Therapy, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Navarra (IdiSNA), Pamplona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Ochoa
- Tissue Microenvironment (TME) Lab, Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain; Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS Aragón), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; CIBER-BBN, ISCIII, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Jesús Ciriza
- Tissue Microenvironment (TME) Lab, Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain; Institute for Health Research Aragón (IIS Aragón), 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; CIBER-BBN, ISCIII, Zaragoza, Spain.
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20
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Kałużna E, Nadel A, Zimna A, Rozwadowska N, Kolanowski T. Modeling the human heart ex vivo-current possibilities and strive for future applications. J Tissue Eng Regen Med 2022; 16:853-874. [PMID: 35748158 PMCID: PMC9796015 DOI: 10.1002/term.3335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The high organ specification of the human heart is inversely proportional to its functional recovery after damage. The discovery of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) has accelerated research in human heart regeneration and physiology. Nevertheless, due to the immaturity of iPSC-CMs, they are far from being an representative model of the adult heart physiology. Therefore, number of laboratories strive to obtain a heart tissues by engineering methods by structuring iPSC-CMs into complex and advanced platforms. By using the iPSC-CMs and arranging them in 3D cultures it is possible to obtain a human heart muscle with physiological capabilities potentially similar to the adult heart, while remaining in vitro. Here, we attempt to describe existing examples of heart muscle either in vitro or ex vivo models and discuss potential options for the further development of such structures. This will be a crucial step for ultimate derivation of complete heart tissue-mimicking organs and their future use in drug development, therapeutic approaches testing, pre-clinical studies, and clinical applications. This review particularly aims to compile available models of advanced human heart tissue for scientists considering which model would best fit their research needs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewelina Kałużna
- Institute of Human GeneticsPolish Academy of SciencesPoznanPoland
| | - Agnieszka Nadel
- Institute of Human GeneticsPolish Academy of SciencesPoznanPoland
| | - Agnieszka Zimna
- Institute of Human GeneticsPolish Academy of SciencesPoznanPoland
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21
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Biendarra‐Tiegs SM, Yechikov S, Shergill B, Brumback B, Takahashi K, Shirure VS, Gonzalez RE, Houshmand L, Zhong D, Weng K, Silva J, Smith TW, Rentschler SL, George SC. An iPS-derived in vitro model of human atrial conduction. Physiol Rep 2022; 10:e15407. [PMID: 36117385 PMCID: PMC9483613 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2022] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in the United States, affecting approximately 1 in 10 adults, and its prevalence is expected to rise as the population ages. Treatment options for AF are limited; moreover, the development of new treatments is hindered by limited (1) knowledge regarding human atrial electrophysiological endpoints (e.g., conduction velocity [CV]) and (2) accurate experimental models. Here, we measured the CV and refractory period, and subsequently calculated the conduction wavelength, in vivo (four subjects with AF and four controls), and ex vivo (atrial slices from human hearts). Then, we created an in vitro model of human atrial conduction using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. This model consisted of iPS-derived human atrial cardiomyocytes plated onto a micropatterned linear 1D spiral design of Matrigel. The CV (34-41 cm/s) of the in vitro model was nearly five times faster than 2D controls (7-9 cm/s) and similar to in vivo (40-64 cm/s) and ex vivo (28-51 cm/s) measurements. Our iPS-derived in vitro model recapitulates key features of in vivo atrial conduction and may be a useful methodology to enhance our understanding of AF and model patient-specific disease.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sergey Yechikov
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Bhupinder Shergill
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Brittany Brumback
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Kentaro Takahashi
- Department of MedicineWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Venktesh S. Shirure
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Ruth Estelle Gonzalez
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Laura Houshmand
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Denise Zhong
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Kuo‐Chan Weng
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Jon Silva
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Timothy W. Smith
- Department of MedicineWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Stacey L. Rentschler
- Department of MedicineWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriUSA
- Department of Developmental BiologyWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouriUSA
| | - Steven C. George
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California, DavisDavisCaliforniaUSA
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22
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Dickerson DA. Advancing Engineered Heart Muscle Tissue Complexity with Hydrogel Composites. Adv Biol (Weinh) 2022; 7:e2200067. [PMID: 35999488 DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202200067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
A heart attack results in the permanent loss of heart muscle and can lead to heart disease, which kills more than 7 million people worldwide each year. To date, outside of heart transplantation, current clinical treatments cannot regenerate lost heart muscle or restore full function to the damaged heart. There is a critical need to create engineered heart tissues with structural complexity and functional capacity needed to replace damaged heart muscle. The inextricable link between structure and function suggests that hydrogel composites hold tremendous promise as a biomaterial-guided strategy to advance heart muscle tissue engineering. Such composites provide biophysical cues and functionality as a provisional extracellular matrix that hydrogels cannot on their own. This review describes the latest advances in the characterization of these biomaterial systems and using them for heart muscle tissue engineering. The review integrates results across the field to provide new insights on critical features within hydrogel composites and perspectives on the next steps to harnessing these promising biomaterials to faithfully reproduce the complex structure and function of native heart muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darryl A. Dickerson
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering Florida International University 10555 West Flagler St Miami FL 33174 USA
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23
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Kahn-Krell A, Pretorius D, Guragain B, Lou X, Wei Y, Zhang J, Qiao A, Nakada Y, Kamp TJ, Ye L, Zhang J. A three-dimensional culture system for generating cardiac spheroids composed of cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, smooth-muscle cells, and cardiac fibroblasts derived from human induced-pluripotent stem cells. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:908848. [PMID: 35957645 PMCID: PMC9361017 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.908848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiomyocytes (CMs), endothelial cells (ECs), smooth-muscle cells (SMCs), and cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) differentiated from human induced-pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are the fundamental components of cell-based regenerative myocardial therapy and can be used as in-vitro models for mechanistic studies and drug testing. However, newly differentiated hiPSC-CMs tend to more closely resemble fetal CMs than the mature CMs of adult hearts, and current techniques for improving CM maturation can be both complex and labor-intensive. Thus, the production of CMs for commercial and industrial applications will require more elementary methods for promoting CM maturity. CMs tend to develop a more mature phenotype when cultured as spheroids in a three-dimensional (3D) environment, rather than as two-dimensional monolayers, and the activity of ECs, SMCs, and CFs promote both CM maturation and electrical activity. Here, we introduce a simple and reproducible 3D-culture-based process for generating spheroids containing all four cardiac-cell types (i.e., cardiac spheroids) that is compatible with a wide range of applications and research equipment. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that the inclusion of vascular cells and CFs was associated with an increase in spheroid size, a decline in apoptosis, an improvement in sarcomere maturation and a change in CM bioenergetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asher Kahn-Krell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Danielle Pretorius
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Bijay Guragain
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Xi Lou
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Yuhua Wei
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States,Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Aijun Qiao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Yuji Nakada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Timothy J. Kamp
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States,Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States,Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Lei Ye
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Jianyi Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine and School of Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States,Department of Medicine/Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States,*Correspondence: Jianyi Zhang,
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24
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Wang Y, Yu M, Hao K, Lei W, Tang M, Hu S. Cardiomyocyte Maturation-the Road is not Obstructed. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2022; 18:2966-2981. [PMID: 35788883 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-022-10407-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) represent one of the most promising ways to treat cardiovascular diseases. High-purity cardiomyocytes (CM) from different cell sources could be obtained at present. However, the immature nature of these cardiomyocytes hinders its further clinical application. From immature to mature state, it involves structural, functional, and metabolic changes in cardiomyocytes. Generally, two types of culturing (2D and 3D) systems have been reported to induce cardiomyocyte maturation. 2D culture mainly achieves the maturation of cardiomyocytes through long-term culture, co-culture, supplementation of small molecule compounds, and the application of biophysical cues. The combined use of biomaterial's surface topography and biophysical cues also facilitates the maturation of cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocyte maturation is a complex process involving many signaling pathways, and current methods fail to fully reproduce this process. Therefore, analyzing the signaling pathway network related to the maturation and producing hPSC-CMs with adult-like phenotype is a challenge. In this review, we summarized the structural and functional differences between hPSC-CMs and mature cardiomyocytes, and introduced various methods to induce cardiomyocyte maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaning Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital & Institute for Cardiovascular Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Miao Yu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital & Institute for Cardiovascular Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Kaili Hao
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital & Institute for Cardiovascular Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Wei Lei
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital & Institute for Cardiovascular Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China
| | - Mingliang Tang
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital & Institute for Cardiovascular Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
| | - Shijun Hu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of the First Affiliated Hospital & Institute for Cardiovascular Science, Collaborative Innovation Center of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou, 215000, China.
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25
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Okhovatian S, Mohammadi MH, Rafatian N, Radisic M. Engineering Models of the Heart Left Ventricle. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2022; 8:2144-2160. [PMID: 35523206 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c00636] [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: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Despite capturing the imagination of scientists for decades, the goal of creating an artificial heart for transplantation proved to be significantly more challenging than initially anticipated. Toward this goal, recent ground-breaking studies demonstrate the development of functional left ventricular (LV) models. LV models are artificially constructed 3D chambers that are capable of containing liquid within the engineered cavity and exhibit the functionality of native LV including contraction, ejection of fluid, and electrical impulse propagation. Various hydrogels and polymers have been used in manufacturing of LV models, relying on techniques such as electrospinning, bioprinting, casting, and molding. Most studies scaled down the models based on the dimensions of the human or rat ventricle. Initially, neonatal rat cardiomyocytes were the cell type of choice for construction the LV models. Yet, as the stem cell biology field advanced, recent studies focused on the use of cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we first describe the physiological characteristics of the human heart, to establish the parameter space for modeling. We then elaborate on current advances in the field and compare recently developed LV models among themselves and with the native human left ventricle. Fabrication methods, cell types, biomaterials, functional properties, and disease modeling capability are some of the major parameters that have distinguished these models. We also highlight some of the current challenges in this field, such as vascularization, cell composition and fidelity, and discuss potential solutions to overcome them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sargol Okhovatian
- Institute of Biomaterials Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Mohammad Hossein Mohammadi
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E5, Canada
| | - Naimeh Rafatian
- Institute of Biomaterials Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9, Canada
| | - Milica Radisic
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E5, Canada.,Institute of Biomaterials Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G9, Canada.,Toronto General Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada
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26
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Suku M, Forrester L, Biggs M, Monaghan MG. Resident Macrophages and Their Potential in Cardiac Tissue Engineering. TISSUE ENGINEERING. PART B, REVIEWS 2022; 28:579-591. [PMID: 34088222 PMCID: PMC9242717 DOI: 10.1089/ten.teb.2021.0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Many facets of tissue engineered models aim at understanding cellular mechanisms to recapitulate in vivo behavior, to study and mimic diseases for drug interventions, and to provide a better understanding toward improving regenerative medicine. Recent and rapid advances in stem cell biology, material science and engineering, have made the generation of complex engineered tissues much more attainable. One such tissue, human myocardium, is extremely intricate, with a number of different cell types. Recent studies have unraveled cardiac resident macrophages as a critical mediator for normal cardiac function. Macrophages within the heart exert phagocytosis and efferocytosis, facilitate electrical conduction, promote regeneration, and remove cardiac exophers to maintain homeostasis. These findings underpin the rationale of introducing macrophages to engineered heart tissue (EHT), to more aptly capitulate in vivo physiology. Despite the lack of studies using cardiac macrophages in vitro, there is enough evidence to accept that they will be key to making EHTs more physiologically relevant. In this review, we explore the rationale and feasibility of using macrophages as an additional cell source in engineered cardiac tissues. Impact statement Macrophages play a critical role in cardiac homeostasis and in disease. Over the past decade, we have come to understand the many vital roles played by cardiac resident macrophages in the heart, including immunosurveillance, regeneration, electrical conduction, and elimination of exophers. There is a need to improve our understanding of the resident macrophage population in the heart in vitro, to better recapitulate the myocardium through tissue engineered models. However, obtaining them in vitro remains a challenge. Here, we discuss the importance of cardiac resident macrophages and potential ways to obtain cardiac resident macrophages in vitro. Finally, we critically discuss their potential in realizing impactful in vitro models of cardiac tissue and their impact in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meenakshi Suku
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- CURAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Lesley Forrester
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Manus Biggs
- CURAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Michael G. Monaghan
- Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Trinity Biomedical Science Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
- CURAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
- Advanced Materials for Bioengineering Research (AMBER) Centre, Trinity College Dublin and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
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27
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Varzideh F, Mone P, Santulli G. Bioengineering Strategies to Create 3D Cardiac Constructs from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Bioengineering (Basel) 2022; 9:168. [PMID: 35447728 PMCID: PMC9028595 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9040168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be used to generate various cell types in the human body. Hence, hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) represent a significant cell source for disease modeling, drug testing, and regenerative medicine. The immaturity of hiPSC-CMs in two-dimensional (2D) culture limit their applications. Cardiac tissue engineering provides a new promise for both basic and clinical research. Advanced bioengineered cardiac in vitro models can create contractile structures that serve as exquisite in vitro heart microtissues for drug testing and disease modeling, thereby promoting the identification of better treatments for cardiovascular disorders. In this review, we will introduce recent advances of bioengineering technologies to produce in vitro cardiac tissues derived from hiPSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahimeh Varzideh
- Department of Medicine, Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC), Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA; (F.V.); (P.M.)
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism (FIDAM), Einstein Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Pasquale Mone
- Department of Medicine, Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC), Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA; (F.V.); (P.M.)
| | - Gaetano Santulli
- Department of Medicine, Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC), Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA; (F.V.); (P.M.)
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism (FIDAM), Einstein Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
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28
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Nakazato T, Kawamura T, Uemura T, Liu L, Li J, Sasai M, Harada A, Ito E, Iseoka H, Toda K, Sawa Y, Miyagawa S. Engineered three-dimensional cardiac tissues maturing in a rotating wall vessel bioreactor remodel diseased hearts in rats with myocardial infarction. Stem Cell Reports 2022; 17:1170-1182. [PMID: 35427484 PMCID: PMC9133656 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2022.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/30/2022] Open
Abstract
A rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactor was constructed for growing massive functional cardiac constructs to recover the function of a distressed rat heart. Three-dimensional cardiac tissues were engineered by seeding human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes on poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) fiber sheets (3D-hiPSC-CTs) and cultured in the RWV bioreactor (RWV group) or under static conditions (control group). The tissues were transplanted into a myocardial infarction nude rat model, and cardiac performance was evaluated. In the RWV group, cell viability and contractile and electrical properties significantly improved, mature cardiomyocytes were observed, and mechanical stress-related mediators of mammalian target of rapamycin signaling were upregulated compared with those of the control. Four weeks post-transplantation, tissue survival and left ventricular ejection fraction significantly improved in the RWV group. Hence, dynamic culture in an RWV bioreactor could provide a superior culture environment for improved performance of 3D-hiPSC-CTs, providing a means for functional cardiomyogenesis in myocyte-loss heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taro Nakazato
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Takuji Kawamura
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Toshimasa Uemura
- Department of Precise and Science Technology, Osaka University Graduate School of Engineering, Suita, Osaka, Japan; Cell Culture Marketing & Research Center, JTEC Corporation, Ibaraki, Osaka, Japan
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Junjun Li
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Masao Sasai
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Akima Harada
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Emiko Ito
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hiroko Iseoka
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Koichi Toda
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Yoshiki Sawa
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shigeru Miyagawa
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
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29
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Progress in Bioengineering Strategies for Heart Regenerative Medicine. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073482. [PMID: 35408844 PMCID: PMC8998628 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 03/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The human heart has the least regenerative capabilities among tissues and organs, and heart disease continues to be a leading cause of mortality in the industrialized world with insufficient therapeutic options and poor prognosis. Therefore, developing new therapeutic strategies for heart regeneration is a major goal in modern cardiac biology and medicine. Recent advances in stem cell biology and biotechnologies such as human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and cardiac tissue engineering hold great promise for opening novel paths to heart regeneration and repair for heart disease, although these areas are still in their infancy. In this review, we summarize and discuss the recent progress in cardiac tissue engineering strategies, highlighting stem cell engineering and cardiomyocyte maturation, development of novel functional biomaterials and biofabrication tools, and their therapeutic applications involving drug discovery, disease modeling, and regenerative medicine for heart disease.
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30
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Janbandhu V, Tallapragada V, Patrick R, Li Y, Abeygunawardena D, Humphreys DT, Martin EM, Ward AO, Contreras O, Farbehi N, Yao E, Du J, Dunwoodie SL, Bursac N, Harvey RP. Hif-1a suppresses ROS-induced proliferation of cardiac fibroblasts following myocardial infarction. Cell Stem Cell 2022; 29:281-297.e12. [PMID: 34762860 PMCID: PMC9021927 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
We report that cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and mesenchymal progenitors are more hypoxic than other cardiac interstitial populations, express more hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), and exhibit increased glycolytic metabolism. CF-specific deletion of Hif-1a resulted in decreased HIF-1 target gene expression and increased mesenchymal progenitors in uninjured hearts and increased CF activation without proliferation following sham injury, as demonstrated using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). After myocardial infarction (MI), however, there was ∼50% increased CF proliferation and excessive scarring and contractile dysfunction, a scenario replicated in 3D engineered cardiac microtissues. CF proliferation was associated with higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) as occurred also in wild-type mice treated with the mitochondrial ROS generator MitoParaquat (MitoPQ). The mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant MitoTEMPO rescued Hif-1a mutant phenotypes. Thus, HIF-1α in CFs provides a critical braking mechanism against excessive post-ischemic CF activation and proliferation through regulation of mitochondrial ROS. CFs are potential cellular targets for designer antioxidant therapies in cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhao Janbandhu
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,St. Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia,Correspondence: (V.J.), (R.P.H.)
| | - Vikram Tallapragada
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,St. Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Ralph Patrick
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,St. Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yanzhen Li
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Dhanushi Abeygunawardena
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - David T. Humphreys
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,St. Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Alexander O. Ward
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,St. Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Osvaldo Contreras
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,St. Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nona Farbehi
- Garvan Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics, Garvan Institute of Medical Research Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia
| | - Ernestene Yao
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Junjie Du
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia
| | - Sally L. Dunwoodie
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,St. Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nenad Bursac
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA,Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Richard P. Harvey
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia,St. Vincent’s Clinical School, UNSW Sydney, NSW, Australia,School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia,Lead contact,Correspondence: (V.J.), (R.P.H.)
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31
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Bioengineering approaches to treat the failing heart: from cell biology to 3D printing. Nat Rev Cardiol 2022; 19:83-99. [PMID: 34453134 DOI: 10.1038/s41569-021-00603-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Successfully engineering a functional, human, myocardial pump would represent a therapeutic alternative for the millions of patients with end-stage heart disease and provide an alternative to animal-based preclinical models. Although the field of cardiac tissue engineering has made tremendous advances, major challenges remain, which, if properly resolved, might allow the clinical implementation of engineered, functional, complex 3D structures in the future. In this Review, we provide an overview of state-of-the-art studies, challenges that have not yet been overcome and perspectives on cardiac tissue engineering. We begin with the most clinically relevant cell sources used in this field and discuss the use of topological, biophysical and metabolic stimuli to obtain mature phenotypes of cardiomyocytes, particularly in relation to organized cytoskeletal and contractile intracellular structures. We then move from the cellular level to engineering planar cardiac patches and discuss the need for proper vascularization and the main strategies for obtaining it. Finally, we provide an overview of several different approaches for the engineering of volumetric organs and organ parts - from whole-heart decellularization and recellularization to advanced 3D printing technologies.
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32
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Thomas D, Cunningham NJ, Shenoy S, Wu JC. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells in cardiovascular research: current approaches in cardiac differentiation, maturation strategies, and scalable production. Cardiovasc Res 2022; 118:20-36. [PMID: 33757124 PMCID: PMC8932155 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvab115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Manifestations of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in a patient or a population differ based on inherent biological makeup, lifestyle, and exposure to environmental risk factors. These variables mean that therapeutic interventions may not provide the same benefit to every patient. In the context of CVDs, human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) offer an opportunity to model CVDs in a patient-specific manner. From a pharmacological perspective, iPSC-CM models can serve as go/no-go tests to evaluate drug safety. To develop personalized therapies for early diagnosis and treatment, human-relevant disease models are essential. Hence, to implement and leverage the utility of iPSC-CMs for large-scale treatment or drug discovery, it is critical to (i) carefully evaluate the relevant limitations of iPSC-CM differentiations, (ii) establish quality standards for defining the state of cell maturity, and (iii) employ techniques that allow scalability and throughput with minimal batch-to-batch variability. In this review, we briefly describe progress made with iPSC-CMs in disease modelling and pharmacological testing, as well as current iPSC-CM maturation techniques. Finally, we discuss current platforms for large-scale manufacturing of iPSC-CMs that will enable high-throughput drug screening applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilip Thomas
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5454, USA
| | - Nathan J Cunningham
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5454, USA
| | - Sushma Shenoy
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5454, USA
| | - Joseph C Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5454, USA
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5454, USA
- Department of Radiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305-5454, USA
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33
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DeLuca S, Bursac N. CRISPR Library Screening in Cultured Cardiomyocytes. Methods Mol Biol 2022; 2485:1-13. [PMID: 35618895 PMCID: PMC9274507 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2261-2_1] [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] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas9-based screening technologies enable precise, high-throughput genetic and epigenetic manipulation to study mechanisms of development and disease and identify new therapeutic targets. Here, we describe a general protocol for the generation of custom, pooled CRISPR sgRNA libraries for screening in cardiomyocyte cultures. This methodology can address a variety of lab-specific research questions in cardiomyocytes and other cell types, as the genes to be modified can be curated or whole genomes can be investigated. The use of lentiviral sgRNA delivery followed by high-throughput sequencing allows for rapid comparison and identification of candidate genes and epigenetic modifiers, which can be further validated individually or in sub-pooled libraries following screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophia DeLuca
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Nenad Bursac
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
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34
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Arslanova A, Shafaattalab S, Ye K, Asghari P, Lin L, Kim B, Roston TM, Hove-Madsen L, Van Petegem F, Sanatani S, Moore E, Lynn F, Søndergaard M, Luo Y, Chen SRW, Tibbits GF. Using hiPSC-CMs to Examine Mechanisms of Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia. Curr Protoc 2021; 1:e320. [PMID: 34958715 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a potentially lethal inherited cardiac arrhythmia condition, triggered by physical or acute emotional stress, that predominantly expresses early in life. Gain-of-function mutations in the cardiac ryanodine receptor gene (RYR2) account for the majority of CPVT cases, causing substantial disruption of intracellular calcium (Ca2+ ) homeostasis particularly during the periods of β-adrenergic receptor stimulation. However, the highly variable penetrance, patient outcomes, and drug responses observed in clinical practice remain unexplained, even for patients with well-established founder RyR2 mutations. Therefore, investigation of the electrophysiological consequences of CPVT-causing RyR2 mutations is crucial to better understand the pathophysiology of the disease. The development of strategies for reprogramming human somatic cells to human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has provided a unique opportunity to study inherited arrhythmias, due to the ability of hiPSCs to differentiate down a cardiac lineage. Employment of genome editing enables generation of disease-specific cell lines from healthy and diseased patient-derived hiPSCs, which subsequently can be differentiated into cardiomyocytes. This paper describes the means for establishing an hiPSC-based model of CPVT in order to recapitulate the disease phenotype in vitro and investigate underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. The framework of this approach has the potential to contribute to disease modeling and personalized medicine using hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alia Arslanova
- Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group, Departments of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sanam Shafaattalab
- Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group, Departments of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kevin Ye
- Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group, Departments of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Parisa Asghari
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lisa Lin
- Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group, Departments of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - BaRun Kim
- Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group, Departments of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Thomas M Roston
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Heart Center, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Leif Hove-Madsen
- Cardiac Rhythm and Contraction Group, IIBB-CSIC, CIBERCV, IIB Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Filip Van Petegem
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Shubhayan Sanatani
- British Columbia Children's Hospital Heart Center, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Edwin Moore
- Cardiac Rhythm and Contraction Group, IIBB-CSIC, CIBERCV, IIB Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francis Lynn
- Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Yonglun Luo
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - S R Wayne Chen
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Glen F Tibbits
- Cellular and Regenerative Medicine Centre, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Molecular Cardiac Physiology Group, Departments of Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology and Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.,School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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35
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Gilbert G, Kadur Nagaraju C, Duelen R, Amoni M, Bobin P, Eschenhagen T, Roderick HL, Sampaolesi M, Sipido KR. Incomplete Assembly of the Dystrophin-Associated Protein Complex in 2D and 3D-Cultured Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:737840. [PMID: 34805146 PMCID: PMC8599983 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.737840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cells derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) are increasingly used to study genetic diseases on a human background. However, the lack of a fully mature adult cardiomyocyte phenotype of hiPSC-CM may be limiting the scope of these studies. Muscular dystrophies and concomitant cardiomyopathies result from mutations in genes encoding proteins of the dystrophin-associated protein complex (DAPC), which is a multi-protein membrane-spanning complex. We examined the expression of DAPC components in hiPSC-CM, which underwent maturation in 2D and 3D culture protocols. The results were compared with human adult cardiac tissue and isolated cardiomyocytes. We found that similarly to adult cardiomyocytes, hiPSC-CM express dystrophin, in line with previous studies on Duchenne’s disease. β-dystroglycan was also expressed, but, contrary to findings in adult cardiomyocytes, none of the sarcoglycans nor α-dystroglycan were, despite the presence of their mRNA. In conclusion, despite the robust expression of dystrophin, the absence of several other DAPC protein components cautions for reliance on commonly used protocols for hiPSC-CM maturation for functional assessment of the complete DAPC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Gilbert
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Chandan Kadur Nagaraju
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Robin Duelen
- Laboratory of Translational Cardiomyology, Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matthew Amoni
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Pierre Bobin
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Eschenhagen
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.,German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - H Llewelyn Roderick
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maurilio Sampaolesi
- Laboratory of Translational Cardiomyology, Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Karin R Sipido
- Laboratory of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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36
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Tamargo MA, Nash TR, Fleischer S, Kim Y, Vila OF, Yeager K, Summers M, Zhao Y, Lock R, Chavez M, Costa T, Vunjak-Novakovic G. milliPillar: A Platform for the Generation and Real-Time Assessment of Human Engineered Cardiac Tissues. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021; 7:5215-5229. [PMID: 34668692 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.1c01006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Engineered cardiac tissues derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are increasingly used for drug discovery, pharmacology and in models of development and disease. While there are numerous platforms to engineer cardiac tissues, they often require expensive and nonconventional equipment and utilize complex video-processing algorithms. As a result, only specialized academic laboratories have been able to harness this technology. In addition, methodologies and tissue features have been challenging to reproduce between different groups and models. Here, we describe a facile technology (milliPillar) that covers the entire pipeline required for studies of engineered cardiac tissues. We include methodologies for (i) platform fabrication, (ii) cardiac tissue generation, (iii) electrical stimulation, (iv) automated real-time data acquisition, and (v) advanced video analyses. We validate these methodologies and demonstrate the versatility of the platform by showcasing the fabrication of tissues in different hydrogel materials and using cardiomyocytes derived from different iPSC lines in combination with different types of stromal cells. We also validate the long-term culture of tissues within the platform and provide protocols for automated analysis of force generation and calcium flux using both brightfield and fluorescence imaging. Lastly, we demonstrate the compatibility of the milliPillar platform with electromechanical stimulation to enhance cardiac tissue function. We expect that this resource will provide a valuable and user-friendly tool for the generation and real-time assessment of engineered human cardiac tissues for basic and translational studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Alejandro Tamargo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Department of Medicine, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Trevor Ray Nash
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Department of Medicine, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Sharon Fleischer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Youngbin Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Olaia Fernandez Vila
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Keith Yeager
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Max Summers
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Yimu Zhao
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Roberta Lock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Miguel Chavez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Troy Costa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States.,Department of Medicine, Columbia University, 622 West 168th Street, VC12-234, New York, New York 10032, United States
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37
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Strash N, DeLuca S, Janer Carattini GL, Heo SC, Gorsuch R, Bursac N. Human Erbb2-induced Erk activity robustly stimulates cycling and functional remodeling of rat and human cardiomyocytes. eLife 2021; 10:65512. [PMID: 34665129 PMCID: PMC8589446 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple mitogenic pathways capable of promoting mammalian cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation have been identified as potential candidates for functional heart repair following myocardial infarction. However, it is unclear whether the effects of these mitogens are species-specific and how they directly compare in the same cardiac setting. Here, we examined how CM-specific lentiviral expression of various candidate mitogens affects human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs (hiPSC-CMs) and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) in vitro. In 2D-cultured CMs from both species, and in highly mature 3D-engineered cardiac tissues generated from NRVMs, a constitutively active mutant form of the human gene Erbb2 (cahErbb2) was the most potent tested mitogen. Persistent expression of cahErbb2 induced CM proliferation, sarcomere loss, and remodeling of tissue structure and function, which were attenuated by small molecule inhibitors of Erk signaling. These results suggest transient activation of Erbb2/Erk axis in CMs as a potential strategy for regenerative heart repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Strash
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Sophia DeLuca
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | | | - Soon Chul Heo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Ryne Gorsuch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, United States
| | - Nenad Bursac
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, United States
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38
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Ohya T, Ohtomo H, Kikuchi T, Sasaki D, Kawamura Y, Matsuura K, Shimizu T, Fukuda K, Someya T, Umezu S. Simultaneous measurement of contractile force and field potential of dynamically beating human iPS cell-derived cardiac cell sheet-tissue with flexible electronics. LAB ON A CHIP 2021; 21:3899-3909. [PMID: 34636821 DOI: 10.1039/d1lc00411e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived cardiomyocytes are used for in vitro pharmacological and pathological studies worldwide. In particular, the functional assessment of cardiac tissues created from iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes is expected to provide precise prediction of drug effects and thus streamline the process of drug development. However, the current format of electrophysiological and contractile assessment of cardiomyocytes on a rigid substrate is not appropriate for cardiac tissues that beat dynamically. Here, we show a novel simultaneous measurement system for contractile force and extracellular field potential of iPS cell-derived cardiac cell sheet-tissues using 500 nm-thick flexible electronic sheets. It was confirmed that the developed system is applicable for pharmacological studies and assessments of excitation-contraction coupling-related parameters, such as the electro-mechanical window. Our results indicate that flexible electronics with cardiac tissue engineering provide an advanced platform for drug development. This system will contribute to gaining new insight in pharmacological study of human cardiac function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Ohya
- Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
- Thin-Film Device Laboratory & Center for Emergent Matter Science, RIKEN, 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
| | - Haruki Ohtomo
- Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
| | - Tetsutaro Kikuchi
- Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan
| | - Daisuke Sasaki
- Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan
| | - Yohei Kawamura
- Thin-Film Device Laboratory & Center for Emergent Matter Science, RIKEN, 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
- Department of Integrative Bioscience and Biomedical Engineering, TWIns, Waseda University, 2-2 Wakamatsu-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8480, Japan
| | - Katsuhisa Matsuura
- Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Shimizu
- Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science, Tokyo Women's Medical University, 8-1 Kawada-Cho, Shinjuku-Ku, Tokyo 162-8666, Japan
| | - Kenjiro Fukuda
- Thin-Film Device Laboratory & Center for Emergent Matter Science, RIKEN, 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
| | - Takao Someya
- Thin-Film Device Laboratory & Center for Emergent Matter Science, RIKEN, 2-1, Hirosawa, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan.
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Information Systems, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656, Japan.
| | - Shinjiro Umezu
- Department of Modern Mechanical Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan.
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39
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Approaches to Optimize Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocyte Maturation and Function. CURRENT STEM CELL REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40778-021-00197-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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40
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Das S, Nam H, Jang J. 3D bioprinting of stem cell-laden cardiac patch: A promising alternative for myocardial repair. APL Bioeng 2021; 5:031508. [PMID: 34368602 PMCID: PMC8318604 DOI: 10.1063/5.0030353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Stem cell-laden three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted cardiac patches offer an alternative and promising therapeutic and regenerative approach for ischemic cardiomyopathy by reversing scar formation and promoting myocardial regeneration. Numerous studies have reported using either multipotent or pluripotent stem cells or their combination for 3D bioprinting of a cardiac patch with the sole aim of restoring cardiac function by faithfully rejuvenating the cardiomyocytes and associated vasculatures that are lost to myocardial infarction. While many studies have demonstrated success in mimicking cardiomyocytes' behavior, improving cardiac function and providing new hope for regenerating heart post-myocardial infarction, some others have reported contradicting data in apparent ways. Nonetheless, all investigators in the field are speed racing toward determining a potential strategy to effectively treat losses due to myocardial infarction. This review discusses various types of candidate stem cells that possess cardiac regenerative potential, elucidating their applications and limitations. We also brief the challenges of and an update on the implementation of the state-of-the-art 3D bioprinting approach to fabricate cardiac patches and highlight different strategies to implement vascularization and augment cardiac functional properties with respect to electrophysiological similarities to native tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanskrita Das
- Department of Convergence IT Engineering, POSTECH, 77 Cheongam-ro, Namgu, Pohang, Kyungbuk 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyoryung Nam
- Department of Convergence IT Engineering, POSTECH, 77 Cheongam-ro, Namgu, Pohang, Kyungbuk 37673, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinah Jang
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed:
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41
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Contractile Force Measurement of Engineered Cardiac Tissues Derived from Human iPS Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2021. [PMID: 34302657 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1484-6_16] [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: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in stem cell technologies and tissue engineering are enabling the fabrication of dynamically beating cardiac tissues from human induced pluripotent stem cells. These engineered human cardiac tissues are expected to be used for cardiac regenerative therapies, in vitro drug testing, and pathological investigations. Here we describe the method to fabricate engineered cardiac tissues from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and to measure the contractile force.
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42
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Jabbour RJ, Owen TJ, Pandey P, Reinsch M, Wang B, King O, Couch LS, Pantou D, Pitcher DS, Chowdhury RA, Pitoulis FG, Handa BS, Kit-Anan W, Perbellini F, Myles RC, Stuckey DJ, Dunne M, Shanmuganathan M, Peters NS, Ng FS, Weinberger F, Terracciano CM, Smith GL, Eschenhagen T, Harding SE. In vivo grafting of large engineered heart tissue patches for cardiac repair. JCI Insight 2021; 6:e144068. [PMID: 34369384 PMCID: PMC8410032 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.144068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Engineered heart tissue (EHT) strategies, by combining cells within a hydrogel matrix, may be a novel therapy for heart failure. EHTs restore cardiac function in rodent injury models, but more data are needed in clinically relevant settings. Accordingly, an upscaled EHT patch (2.5 cm × 1.5 cm × 1.5 mm) consisting of up to 20 million human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) embedded in a fibrin-based hydrogel was developed. A rabbit myocardial infarction model was then established to test for feasibility and efficacy. Our data showed that hPSC-CMs in EHTs became more aligned over 28 days and had improved contraction kinetics and faster calcium transients. Blinded echocardiographic analysis revealed a significant improvement in function in infarcted hearts that received EHTs, along with reduction in infarct scar size by 35%. Vascularization from the host to the patch was observed at week 1 and stable to week 4, but electrical coupling between patch and host heart was not observed. In vivo telemetry recordings and ex vivo arrhythmia provocation protocols showed that the patch was not pro-arrhythmic. In summary, EHTs improved function and reduced scar size without causing arrhythmia, which may be due to the lack of electrical coupling between patch and host heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Jabbour
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas J Owen
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pragati Pandey
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marina Reinsch
- Department of Cardiovascular Science, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Brian Wang
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Oisín King
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Liam Steven Couch
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Dafni Pantou
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David S Pitcher
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Rasheda A Chowdhury
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fotios G Pitoulis
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Balvinder S Handa
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Worrapong Kit-Anan
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Filippo Perbellini
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Rachel C Myles
- Department of Cardiovascular Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel J Stuckey
- Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Dunne
- Department of Cardiovascular Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Nicholas S Peters
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Fu Siong Ng
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Florian Weinberger
- Department of Cardiovascular Science, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Cesare M Terracciano
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Godfrey L Smith
- Department of Cardiovascular Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas Eschenhagen
- Department of Cardiovascular Science, Hamburg University, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sian E Harding
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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43
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Wagner KT, Nash TR, Liu B, Vunjak-Novakovic G, Radisic M. Extracellular Vesicles in Cardiac Regeneration: Potential Applications for Tissues-on-a-Chip. Trends Biotechnol 2021; 39:755-773. [PMID: 32958383 PMCID: PMC7969481 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2020] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Strategies to regenerate cardiac tissue postinjury are limited and heart transplantation remains the only 'cure' for a failing heart. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), membrane-bound cell secretions important in intercellular signaling, have been shown to play a crucial role in regulating heart function. A mechanistic understanding of the role of EVs in the heart remains elusive due to the challenges in studying the native human heart. Tissue-on-a-chip platforms, comprising functional, physiologically relevant human tissue models, are an emerging technology that has yet to be fully applied to the study of EVs. In this review, we summarize recent advances in cardiac tissue-on-a-chip (CTC) platforms and discuss how they are uniquely situated to advance our understanding of EVs in cardiac disease and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl T Wagner
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Trevor R Nash
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Bohao Liu
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Milica Radisic
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada.
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44
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Tavakol DN, Fleischer S, Vunjak-Novakovic G. Harnessing organs-on-a-chip to model tissue regeneration. Cell Stem Cell 2021; 28:993-1015. [PMID: 34087161 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2021.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Tissue engineering has markedly matured since its early beginnings in the 1980s. In addition to the original goal to regenerate damaged organs, the field has started to explore modeling of human physiology "in a dish." Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technologies now enable studies of organ regeneration and disease modeling in a patient-specific context. We discuss the potential of "organ-on-a-chip" systems to study regenerative therapies with focus on three distinct organ systems: cardiac, respiratory, and hematopoietic. We propose that the combinatorial studies of human tissues at these two scales would help realize the translational potential of tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sharon Fleischer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY; Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY.
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45
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Maturation strategies and limitations of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Biosci Rep 2021; 41:226678. [PMID: 33057659 PMCID: PMC8209171 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20200833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have the ability to differentiate into cardiomyocytes (CMs). They are not only widely used in cardiac pharmacology screening, human heart disease modeling, and cell transplantation-based treatments, but also the most promising source of CMs for experimental and clinical applications. However, their use is largely restricted by the immature phenotype of structure and function, which is similar to embryonic or fetal CMs and has certain differences from adult CMs. In order to overcome this critical issue, many studies have explored and revealed new strategies to induce the maturity of iPSC-CMs. Therefore, this article aims to review recent induction methods of mature iPSC-CMs, related mechanisms, and limitations.
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46
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Next generation of heart regenerative therapies: progress and promise of cardiac tissue engineering. NPJ Regen Med 2021; 6:30. [PMID: 34075050 PMCID: PMC8169890 DOI: 10.1038/s41536-021-00140-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The adult heart is a vital and highly specialized organ of the human body, with limited capability of self-repair and regeneration in case of injury or disease. Engineering biomimetic cardiac tissue to regenerate the heart has been an ambition in the field of tissue engineering, tracing back to the 1990s. Increased understanding of human stem cell biology and advances in process engineering have provided an unlimited source of cells, particularly cardiomyocytes, for the development of functional cardiac muscle, even though pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes poorly resemble those of the adult heart. This review outlines key biology-inspired strategies reported to improve cardiomyocyte maturation features and current biofabrication approaches developed to engineer clinically relevant cardiac tissues. It also highlights the potential use of this technology in drug discovery science and disease modeling as well as the current efforts to translate it into effective therapies that improve heart function and promote regeneration.
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47
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Cruz-Moreira D, Visone R, Vasques-Nóvoa F, S Barros A, Leite-Moreira A, Redaelli A, Moretti M, Rasponi M. Assessing the influence of perfusion on cardiac microtissue maturation: A heart-on-chip platform embedding peristaltic pump capabilities. Biotechnol Bioeng 2021; 118:3128-3137. [PMID: 34019719 PMCID: PMC8362142 DOI: 10.1002/bit.27836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 05/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Heart‐on‐chip is an unprecedented technology for recapitulating key biochemical and biophysical cues in cardiac pathophysiology. Several designs have been proposed to improve its ability to mimic the native tissue and establish it as a reliable research platform. However, despite mimicking one of most vascularized organs, reliable strategies to deliver oxygen and substrates to densely packed constructs of metabolically demanding cells remain unsettled. Herein, we describe a new heart‐on‐chip platform with precise fluid control, integrating an on‐chip peristaltic pump, allowing automated and fine control over flow on channels flanking a 3D cardiac culture. The application of distinct flow rates impacted on temporal dynamics of microtissue structural and transcriptional maturation, improving functional performance. Moreover, a widespread transcriptional response was observed, suggesting flow‐mediated activation of critical pathways of cardiomyocyte structural and functional maturation and inhibition of cardiomyocyte hypoxic injury. In conclusion, the present design represents an important advance in bringing engineered cardiac microtissues closer to the native heart, overcoming traditional bulky off‐chip fluid handling systems, improving microtissue performance, and matching oxygen and energy substrate requirements of metabolically active constructs, avoiding cellular hypoxia. Distinct flow patterns differently impact on microtissue performance and gene expression program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Cruz-Moreira
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Roberta Visone
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Francisco Vasques-Nóvoa
- Cardiovascular Research and Development Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - António S Barros
- Cardiovascular Research and Development Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Adelino Leite-Moreira
- Cardiovascular Research and Development Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Alberto Redaelli
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Matteo Moretti
- Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory, IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi, Milan, Italy.,Regenerative Medicine Technologies Lab, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale (EOC), Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Marco Rasponi
- Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
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48
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Zhan RZ, Rao L, Chen Z, Strash N, Bursac N. Loss of sarcomeric proteins via upregulation of JAK/STAT signaling underlies interferon-γ-induced contractile deficit in engineered human myocardium. Acta Biomater 2021; 126:144-153. [PMID: 33705988 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The level of circulating interferon-γ (IFNγ) is elevated in various clinical conditions including autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, sepsis, acute coronary syndrome, and viral infections. As these conditions are associated with high risk of myocardial dysfunction, we investigated the effects of IFNγ on 3D fibrin-based engineered human cardiac tissues ("cardiobundles"). Cardiobundles were fabricated from human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, exposed to 0-20 ng/ml of IFNγ on culture days 7-14, and assessed for changes in tissue structure, viability, contractile force and calcium transient generation, action potential propagation, cytokine secretion, and expression of select genes and proteins. We found that application of IFNγ induced a dose-dependent reduction in contractile force generation, deterioration of sarcomeric organization, and cardiomyocyte disarray, without significantly altering cell viability, action potential propagation, or calcium transient amplitude. At molecular level, the IFNγ-induced structural and functional deficits could be attributed to altered balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, upregulation of JAK/STAT signaling pathway (JAK1, JAK2, and STAT1), and reduced expression of myosin heavy chain, myosin light chain-2v, and sarcomeric α-actinin. Application of clinically used JAK/STAT inhibitors, tofacitinib and baricitinib, fully prevented IFNγ-induced cardiomyopathy, confirming the critical roles of this signaling pathway in inflammatory cardiac disease. Taken together, our in vitro studies in engineered myocardial tissues reveal direct adverse effects of pro-inflammatory cytokine IFNγ on human cardiomyocytes and establish the foundation for a potential use of cardiobundle platform in modeling of inflammatory myocardial disease and therapy. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, sepsis, lupus erythematosus, Chagas disease, and others, as well as viral infections including H1N1 influenza and COVID-19 show increased systemic levels of a pro-inflammatory cytokine interferon-γ (IFNγ) and are associated with high risk of heart disease. Here we explored for the first time if chronically elevated levels of IFNγ can negatively affect structure and function of engineered human heart tissues in vitro. Our studies revealed IFNγ-induced deterioration of myofibrillar organization and contractile force production in human cardiomyocytes, attributed to decreased expression of multiple sarcomeric proteins and upregulation of JAK/STAT signaling pathway. FDA-approved JAK inhibitors fully blocked the adverse effects of IFNγ, suggesting a potentially effective strategy against human inflammatory cardiomyopathy.
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49
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Cho S, Lee C, Skylar-Scott MA, Heilshorn SC, Wu JC. Reconstructing the heart using iPSCs: Engineering strategies and applications. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2021; 157:56-65. [PMID: 33895197 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2021.04.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have emerged as a key component of cardiac tissue engineering, enabling studies of cardiovascular disease mechanisms, drug responses, and developmental processes in human 3D tissue models assembled from isogenic cells. Since the very first engineered heart tissues were introduced more than two decades ago, a wide array of iPSC-derived cardiac spheroids, organoids, and heart-on-a-chip models have been developed incorporating the latest available technologies and materials. In this review, we will first outline the fundamental biological building blocks required to form a functional unit of cardiac muscle, including iPSC-derived cells differentiated by soluble factors (e.g., small molecules), extracellular matrix scaffolds, and exogenous biophysical maturation cues. We will then summarize the different fabrication approaches and strategies employed to reconstruct the heart in vitro at varying scales and geometries. Finally, we will discuss how these platforms, with continued improvements in scalability and tissue maturity, can contribute to both basic cardiovascular research and clinical applications in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sangkyun Cho
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94025, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94025, USA
| | - Chelsea Lee
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94025, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94025, USA
| | - Mark A Skylar-Scott
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94025, USA; Betty Irene Moore Children's Heart Center, Stanford Children's Health, Stanford, CA 94025, USA
| | - Sarah C Heilshorn
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94025, USA; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94025, USA
| | - Joseph C Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94025, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94025, USA.
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50
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Lu K, Seidel T, Cao-Ehlker X, Dorn T, Batcha AMN, Schneider CM, Semmler M, Volk T, Moretti A, Dendorfer A, Tomasi R. Progressive stretch enhances growth and maturation of 3D stem-cell-derived myocardium. Am J Cancer Res 2021; 11:6138-6153. [PMID: 33995650 PMCID: PMC8120210 DOI: 10.7150/thno.54999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Bio-engineered myocardium has great potential to substitute damaged myocardium and for studies of myocardial physiology and disease, but structural and functional immaturity still implies limitations. Current protocols of engineered heart tissue (EHT) generation fall short of simulating the conditions of postnatal myocardial growth, which are characterized by tissue expansion and increased mechanical load. To investigate whether these two parameters can improve EHT maturation, we developed a new approach for the generation of cardiac tissues based on biomimetic stimulation under application of continuously increasing stretch. Methods: EHTs were generated by assembling cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CM) at high cell density in a low collagen hydrogel. Maturation and growth of the EHTs were induced in a custom-made biomimetic tissue culture system that provided continuous electrical stimulation and medium agitation along with progressive stretch at four different increments. Tissues were characterized after a three week conditioning period. Results: The highest rate of stretch (S3 = 0.32 mm/day) increased force development by 5.1-fold compared to tissue with a fixed length, reaching contractility of 11.28 mN/mm². Importantly, intensely stretched EHTs developed physiological length-dependencies of active and passive forces (systolic/diastolic ratio = 9.47 ± 0.84), and a positive force-frequency relationship (1.25-fold contractility at 180 min-1). Functional markers of stretch-dependent maturation included enhanced and more rapid Ca2+ transients, higher amplitude and upstroke velocity of action potentials, and pronounced adrenergic responses. Stretch conditioned hiPSC-CMs displayed structural improvements in cellular volume, linear alignment, and sarcomere length (2.19 ± 0.1 µm), and an overall upregulation of genes that are specifically expressed in adult cardiomyocytes. Conclusions: With the intention to simulate postnatal heart development, we have established techniques of tissue assembly and biomimetic culture that avoid tissue shrinkage and yield muscle fibers with contractility and compliance approaching the properties of adult myocardium. This study demonstrates that cultivation under progressive stretch is a feasible way to induce growth and maturation of stem cell-derived myocardium. The novel tissue-engineering approach fulfills important requirements of disease modelling and therapeutic tissue replacement.
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