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Joshi J, Albers C, Smole N, Guo S, Smith SA. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) for modeling cardiac arrhythmias: strengths, challenges and potential solutions. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1475152. [PMID: 39328831 PMCID: PMC11424716 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1475152] [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: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/28/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Ion channels and cytoskeletal proteins in the cardiac dyad play a critical role in maintaining excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling and provide cardiac homeostasis. Functional changes in these dyad proteins, whether induced by genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, therapeutic, or environmental factors, can disrupt normal cardiac electrophysiology, leading to abnormal E-C coupling and arrhythmias. Animal models and heterologous cell cultures provide platforms to elucidate the pathogenesis of arrhythmias for basic cardiac research; however, these traditional systems do not truly reflect human cardiac electro-pathophysiology. Notably, patients with the same genetic variants of inherited channelopathies (ICC) often exhibit incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity which underscores the need to establish patient-specific disease models to comprehend the mechanistic pathways of arrhythmias and determine personalized therapies. Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) inherit the genetic background of the patient and reflect the electrophysiological characteristics of the native cardiomyocytes. Thus, iPSC-CMs provide an innovative and translational pivotal platform in cardiac disease modeling and therapeutic screening. In this review, we will examine how patient-specific iPSC-CMs historically evolved to model arrhythmia syndromes in a dish, and their utility in understanding the role of specific ion channels and their functional characteristics in causing arrhythmias. We will also examine how CRISPR/Cas9 have enabled the establishment of patient-independent and variant-induced iPSC-CMs-based arrhythmia models. Next, we will examine the limitations of using human iPSC-CMs with respect to in vitro arrhythmia modeling that stems from variations in iPSCs or toxicity due to gene editing on iPSC or iPSC-CMs and explore how such hurdles are being addressed. Importantly, we will also discuss how novel 3D iPSC-CM models can better capture in vitro characteristics and how all-optical platforms provide non-invasive and high- throughput electrophysiological data that is useful for stratification of emerging arrhythmogenic variants and drug discovery. Finally, we will examine strategies to improve iPSC-CM maturity, including powerful gene editing and optogenetic tools that can introduce/modify specific ion channels in iPSC-CMs and tailor cellular and functional characteristics. We anticipate that an elegant synergy of iPSCs, novel gene editing, 3D- culture models, and all-optical platforms will offer a high-throughput template to faithfully recapitulate in vitro arrhythmogenic events necessary for personalized arrhythmia monitoring and drug screening process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jyotsna Joshi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, College of Medicine, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Cora Albers
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, College of Medicine, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Nathan Smole
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, College of Medicine, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Shuliang Guo
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, College of Medicine, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
| | - Sakima A Smith
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, College of Medicine, Wexner Medical Center, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
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2
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Kistamás K, Lamberto F, Vaiciuleviciute R, Leal F, Muenthaisong S, Marte L, Subías-Beltrán P, Alaburda A, Arvanitis DN, Zana M, Costa PF, Bernotiene E, Bergaud C, Dinnyés A. The Current State of Realistic Heart Models for Disease Modelling and Cardiotoxicity. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:9186. [PMID: 39273136 PMCID: PMC11394806 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25179186] [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: 07/31/2024] [Revised: 08/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/22/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024] Open
Abstract
One of the many unresolved obstacles in the field of cardiovascular research is an uncompromising in vitro cardiac model. While primary cell sources from animal models offer both advantages and disadvantages, efforts over the past half-century have aimed to reduce their use. Additionally, obtaining a sufficient quantity of human primary cardiomyocytes faces ethical and legal challenges. As the practically unlimited source of human cardiomyocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CM) is now mostly resolved, there are great efforts to improve their quality and applicability by overcoming their intrinsic limitations. The greatest bottleneck in the field is the in vitro ageing of hiPSC-CMs to reach a maturity status that closely resembles that of the adult heart, thereby allowing for more appropriate drug developmental procedures as there is a clear correlation between ageing and developing cardiovascular diseases. Here, we review the current state-of-the-art techniques in the most realistic heart models used in disease modelling and toxicity evaluations from hiPSC-CM maturation through heart-on-a-chip platforms and in silico models to the in vitro models of certain cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kornél Kistamás
- BioTalentum Ltd., Aulich Lajos Str 26, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Federica Lamberto
- BioTalentum Ltd., Aulich Lajos Str 26, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
- Department of Physiology and Animal Health, Institute of Physiology and Animal Nutrition, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter Károly Str 1, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Raminta Vaiciuleviciute
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, State Research Institute Innovative Medicine Centre, Santariskiu g. 5, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Filipa Leal
- Biofabics Lda, Rua Alfredo Allen 455, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | | | - Luis Marte
- Digital Health Unit, Eurecat-Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paula Subías-Beltrán
- Digital Health Unit, Eurecat-Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya, 08005 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Aidas Alaburda
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, State Research Institute Innovative Medicine Centre, Santariskiu g. 5, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
- Institute of Biosciences, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Sauletekio al. 7, LT-10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Dina N Arvanitis
- Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems-French National Centre for Scientific Research (LAAS-CNRS), 7 Avenue du Colonel Roche, F-31400 Toulouse, France
| | - Melinda Zana
- BioTalentum Ltd., Aulich Lajos Str 26, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
| | - Pedro F Costa
- Biofabics Lda, Rua Alfredo Allen 455, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Eiva Bernotiene
- Department of Regenerative Medicine, State Research Institute Innovative Medicine Centre, Santariskiu g. 5, LT-08406 Vilnius, Lithuania
- Faculty of Fundamental Sciences, Vilnius Tech, Sauletekio al. 11, LT-10223 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Christian Bergaud
- Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems-French National Centre for Scientific Research (LAAS-CNRS), 7 Avenue du Colonel Roche, F-31400 Toulouse, France
| | - András Dinnyés
- BioTalentum Ltd., Aulich Lajos Str 26, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
- Department of Physiology and Animal Health, Institute of Physiology and Animal Nutrition, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Páter Károly Str 1, H-2100 Gödöllő, Hungary
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3
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Rayat Pisheh H, Nojabaei FS, Darvishi A, Rayat Pisheh A, Sani M. Cardiac tissue engineering: an emerging approach to the treatment of heart failure. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2024; 12:1441933. [PMID: 39211011 PMCID: PMC11357970 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1441933] [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: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/01/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Heart failure is a major health problem in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. It is a progressive disease that becomes more severe over time and can be caused by a variety of factors, including heart attack, cardiomyopathy and heart valve disease. There are various methods to cure this disease, which has many complications and risks. The advancement of knowledge and technology has proposed new methods for many diseases. One of the promising new treatments for heart failure is tissue engineering. Tissue engineering is a field of research that aims to create living tissues and organs to replace damaged or diseased tissue. The goal of tissue engineering in heart failure is to improve cardiac function and reduce the need for heart transplantation. This can be done using the three important principles of cells, biomaterials and signals to improve function or replace heart tissue. The techniques for using cells and biomaterials such as electrospinning, hydrogel synthesis, decellularization, etc. are diverse. Treating heart failure through tissue engineering is still under development and research, but it is hoped that there will be no transplants or invasive surgeries in the near future. In this study, based on the most important research in recent years, we will examine the power of tissue engineering in the treatment of heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Rayat Pisheh
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Sadat Nojabaei
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Allied Medicine, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Darvishi
- School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Ali Rayat Pisheh
- Department of Biology, Payam Noor University (PUN), Shiraz, Iran
| | - Mahsa Sani
- Department of Tissue Engineering and Applied Cell Sciences, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
- Shiraz Institute for Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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4
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Morita T, Nie M, Takeuchi S. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac muscle rings for biohybrid self-beating actuator. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:3377-3387. [PMID: 38916038 DOI: 10.1039/d4lc00276h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
Cardiac muscle, a subtype of striated muscle composing our heart, has garnered attention as a source of autonomously driven actuators due to its inherent capability for spontaneous contraction. However, conventional cardiac biohybrid robots have utilized planar (2D) cardiac tissue consisting of a thin monolayer of cardiac myotubes with a thickness of 3-5 μm, which can generate a limited contractile force per unit footprint. In this study, 3D cardiac muscle rings were proposed as robotic actuator units. These units not only exhibit higher contractile force per unit footprint compared to their 2D counterparts due to their increased height, but they can also be integrated into desired 3D configurations. We fabricated cardiac muscle rings from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs), evaluated their driving characteristics, and verified the actuation effects by integrating them with artificial components. After the 10th day from culture, the cardiac muscle rings exhibited rhythmic spontaneous contraction and increased contractile force in response to stretching stimuli. Furthermore, after constructing a centimeter-sized biohybrid self-beating actuator with an antagonistic pair structure of cardiac muscle rings, the periodic antagonistic beating motion at its tail portion was confirmed. We believe that 3D cardiac muscle rings, possessing high contractile force and capable of being positioned within limited 3D space, can be used as potent biohybrid robotic actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Morita
- Department of Mechano-Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan.
| | - Minghao Nie
- Department of Mechano-Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan.
| | - Shoji Takeuchi
- Department of Mechano-Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 113-8656, Japan.
- Institude of Industrial Science (IIS), The University of Tokyo, 153-8505, Japan
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (WPI-IRCN), the University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), 113-0033, Japan
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5
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Pardon G, Vander Roest AS, Chirikian O, Birnbaum F, Lewis H, Castillo EA, Wilson R, Denisin AK, Blair CA, Holbrook C, Koleckar K, Chang ACY, Blau HM, Pruitt BL. Tracking single hiPSC-derived cardiomyocyte contractile function using CONTRAX an efficient pipeline for traction force measurement. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5427. [PMID: 38926342 PMCID: PMC11208611 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49755-3] [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: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CMs) are powerful in vitro models to study the mechanisms underlying cardiomyopathies and cardiotoxicity. Quantification of the contractile function in single hiPSC-CMs at high-throughput and over time is essential to disentangle how cellular mechanisms affect heart function. Here, we present CONTRAX, an open-access, versatile, and streamlined pipeline for quantitative tracking of the contractile dynamics of single hiPSC-CMs over time. Three software modules enable: parameter-based identification of single hiPSC-CMs; automated video acquisition of >200 cells/hour; and contractility measurements via traction force microscopy. We analyze >4,500 hiPSC-CMs over time in the same cells under orthogonal conditions of culture media and substrate stiffnesses; +/- drug treatment; +/- cardiac mutations. Using undirected clustering, we reveal converging maturation patterns, quantifiable drug response to Mavacamten and significant deficiencies in hiPSC-CMs with disease mutations. CONTRAX empowers researchers with a potent quantitative approach to develop cardiac therapies.
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Grants
- K99 HL153679 NHLBI NIH HHS
- RM1 GM131981 NIGMS NIH HHS
- 20POST35211011 American Heart Association (American Heart Association, Inc.)
- 17CSA33590101 American Heart Association (American Heart Association, Inc.)
- 18CDA34110411 American Heart Association (American Heart Association, Inc.)
- 1R21HL13099301 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- 18POST34080160 American Heart Association (American Heart Association, Inc.)
- 1F31HL158227 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- F31 HL158227 NHLBI NIH HHS
- 201411MFE-338745-169197 Gouvernement du Canada | Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Instituts de Recherche en Santé du Canada)
- P2SKP2_164954 Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Swiss National Science Foundation)
- 13POST14480004 American Heart Association (American Heart Association, Inc.)
- RM1GM131981 U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- 82070248 National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)
- P400PM_180825 Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung (Swiss National Science Foundation)
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Shanghai Pujiang Program 19PJ1407000 Program for Professor of Special Appointment (Eastern Scholar) at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning 0900000024 to A.C.Y.C. Innovative Research Team of High-Level Local Universities in Shanghai (A.C.Y.C.)
- the Baxter Foundation, Li Ka Shing Foundation and The Stanford Cardiovascular Institute
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaspard Pardon
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and of Bioengineering, Stanford University, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- School of Life Sciences, EPFL École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alison S Vander Roest
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and of Bioengineering, Stanford University, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Engineering, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Orlando Chirikian
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Foster Birnbaum
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Henry Lewis
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and of Bioengineering, Stanford University, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Erica A Castillo
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and of Bioengineering, Stanford University, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Robin Wilson
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and of Bioengineering, Stanford University, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Aleksandra K Denisin
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and of Bioengineering, Stanford University, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Cheavar A Blair
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and of Bioengineering, Stanford University, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Colin Holbrook
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Kassie Koleckar
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Alex C Y Chang
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine and Department of Cardiology, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Helen M Blau
- Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Beth L Pruitt
- Departments of Mechanical Engineering and of Bioengineering, Stanford University, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
- Biomolecular Science and Engineering Program, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
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6
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Hui KK, Yamanaka S. iPS cell therapy 2.0: Preparing for next-generation regenerative medicine. Bioessays 2024:e2400072. [PMID: 38922935 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202400072] [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: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
This year marks the tenth anniversary of the world's first transplantation of tissue generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). There is now a growing number of clinical trials worldwide examining the efficacy and safety of autologous and allogeneic iPSC-derived products for treating various pathologic conditions. As we patiently wait for the results from these and future clinical trials, it is imperative to strategize for the next generation of iPSC-based therapies. This review examines the lessons learned from the development of another advanced cell therapy, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, and the possibility of incorporating various new bioengineering technologies in development, from RNA engineering to tissue fabrication, to apply iPSCs not only as a means to achieve personalized medicine but also as designer medical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelvin K Hui
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Shinya Yamanaka
- Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- CiRA Foundation, Kyoto, Japan
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, San Francisco, California, USA
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7
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Guo J, Jiang H, Schuftan D, Moreno JD, Ramahdita G, Aryan L, Bhagavan D, Silva J, Huebsch N. Substrate mechanics unveil early structural and functional pathology in iPSC micro-tissue models of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. iScience 2024; 27:109954. [PMID: 38827401 PMCID: PMC11141149 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Hypertension is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), suggesting a potential role for mechanics in HCM pathogenesis. Here, we developed an in vitro physiological model to investigate how mechanics acts together with HCM-linked myosin binding protein C (MYBPC3) mutations to trigger disease. Micro-heart muscles (μHM) were engineered from induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes bearing MYBPC3+/- mutations and challenged to contract against substrates of different elasticity. μHMs that worked against substrates with stiffness at or exceeding the stiffness of healthy adult heart muscle exhibited several hallmarks of HCM, including cellular hypertrophy, impaired contractile energetics, and maladaptive calcium handling. Remarkably, we discovered changes in troponin C and T localization in MYBPC3+/- μHM that were entirely absent in 2D culture. Pharmacologic studies suggested that excessive Ca2+ intake through membrane-embedded channels underlie the observed electrophysiological abnormalities. These results illustrate the power of physiologically relevant engineered tissue models to study inherited disease with iPSC technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingxuan Guo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Huanzhu Jiang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - David Schuftan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Jonathan D. Moreno
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Ghiska Ramahdita
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Material Science, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
- NSF Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Lavanya Aryan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Druv Bhagavan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Jonathan Silva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Nathaniel Huebsch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
- NSF Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Center for Regenerative Medicine, Center for Investigation of Membrane Excitability Diseases, Washington University in Saint Louis, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
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8
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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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9
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Lee S, Vander Roest AS, Blair CA, Kao K, Bremner SB, Childers MC, Pathak D, Heinrich P, Lee D, Chirikian O, Mohran SE, Roberts B, Smith JE, Jahng JW, Paik DT, Wu JC, Gunawardane RN, Ruppel KM, Mack DL, Pruitt BL, Regnier M, Wu SM, Spudich JA, Bernstein D. Incomplete-penetrant hypertrophic cardiomyopathy MYH7 G256E mutation causes hypercontractility and elevated mitochondrial respiration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2318413121. [PMID: 38683993 PMCID: PMC11087781 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2318413121] [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: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining the pathogenicity of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-associated mutations in the β-myosin heavy chain (MYH7) can be challenging due to its variable penetrance and clinical severity. This study investigates the early pathogenic effects of the incomplete-penetrant MYH7 G256E mutation on myosin function that may trigger pathogenic adaptations and hypertrophy. We hypothesized that the G256E mutation would alter myosin biomechanical function, leading to changes in cellular functions. We developed a collaborative pipeline to characterize myosin function across protein, myofibril, cell, and tissue levels to determine the multiscale effects on structure-function of the contractile apparatus and its implications for gene regulation and metabolic state. The G256E mutation disrupts the transducer region of the S1 head and reduces the fraction of myosin in the folded-back state by 33%, resulting in more myosin heads available for contraction. Myofibrils from gene-edited MYH7WT/G256E human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) exhibited greater and faster tension development. This hypercontractile phenotype persisted in single-cell hiPSC-CMs and engineered heart tissues. We demonstrated consistent hypercontractile myosin function as a primary consequence of the MYH7 G256E mutation across scales, highlighting the pathogenicity of this gene variant. Single-cell transcriptomic and metabolic profiling demonstrated upregulated mitochondrial genes and increased mitochondrial respiration, indicating early bioenergetic alterations. This work highlights the benefit of our multiscale platform to systematically evaluate the pathogenicity of gene variants at the protein and contractile organelle level and their early consequences on cellular and tissue function. We believe this platform can help elucidate the genotype-phenotype relationships underlying other genetic cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soah Lee
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Convergence, Sungkyunkwan University School of Pharmacy, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do16419South Korea
- School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University School of Pharmacy, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do16419, South Korea
| | - Alison S. Vander Roest
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI48109
| | - Cheavar A. Blair
- Biological Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
- Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY40536
| | - Kerry Kao
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Samantha B. Bremner
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Matthew C. Childers
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Divya Pathak
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Paul Heinrich
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Daniel Lee
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Orlando Chirikian
- Biological Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Saffie E. Mohran
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | | | | | - James W. Jahng
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - David T. Paik
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Joseph C. Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | | | - Kathleen M. Ruppel
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - David L. Mack
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Beth L. Pruitt
- Biological Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA93106
| | - Michael Regnier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington School of Medicine and College of Engineering, Seattle, WA98195
| | - Sean M. Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - James A. Spudich
- Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
| | - Daniel Bernstein
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA94305
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10
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Lu RXZ, Zhao Y, Radisic M. The emerging role of heart-on-a-chip systems in delineating mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2-induced cardiac dysfunction. Bioeng Transl Med 2024; 9:e10581. [PMID: 38818123 PMCID: PMC11135153 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a major global health concern since its emergence in 2019, with over 680 million confirmed cases as of April 2023. While COVID-19 has been strongly associated with the development of cardiovascular complications, the specific mechanisms by which viral infection induces myocardial dysfunction remain largely controversial as studies have shown that the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 can lead to heart failure both directly, by causing damage to the heart cells, and indirectly, by triggering an inflammatory response throughout the body. In this review, we summarize the current understanding of potential mechanisms that drive heart failure based on in vitro studies. We also discuss the significance of three-dimensional heart-on-a-chip technology in the context of the current and future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick Xing Ze Lu
- Institute of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Yimu Zhao
- Institute of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Toronto General Hospital Research InstituteUniversity Health NetworkTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Milica Radisic
- Institute of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Toronto General Hospital Research InstituteUniversity Health NetworkTorontoOntarioCanada
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied ChemistryUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
- Terence Donnelly Centre for Cellular & Biomolecular ResearchUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
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11
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Butler D, Reyes DR. Heart-on-a-chip systems: disease modeling and drug screening applications. LAB ON A CHIP 2024; 24:1494-1528. [PMID: 38318723 DOI: 10.1039/d3lc00829k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, casting a substantial economic footprint and burdening the global healthcare system. Historically, pre-clinical CVD modeling and therapeutic screening have been performed using animal models. Unfortunately, animal models oftentimes fail to adequately mimic human physiology, leading to a poor translation of therapeutics from pre-clinical trials to consumers. Even those that make it to market can be removed due to unforeseen side effects. As such, there exists a clinical, technological, and economical need for systems that faithfully capture human (patho)physiology for modeling CVD, assessing cardiotoxicity, and evaluating drug efficacy. Heart-on-a-chip (HoC) systems are a part of the broader organ-on-a-chip paradigm that leverages microfluidics, tissue engineering, microfabrication, electronics, and gene editing to create human-relevant models for studying disease, drug-induced side effects, and therapeutic efficacy. These compact systems can be capable of real-time measurements and on-demand characterization of tissue behavior and could revolutionize the drug development process. In this review, we highlight the key components that comprise a HoC system followed by a review of contemporary reports of their use in disease modeling, drug toxicity and efficacy assessment, and as part of multi-organ-on-a-chip platforms. We also discuss future perspectives and challenges facing the field, including a discussion on the role that standardization is expected to play in accelerating the widespread adoption of these platforms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derrick Butler
- Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
| | - Darwin R Reyes
- Microsystems and Nanotechnology Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA.
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12
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Sakamoto T, Kelly DP. Cardiac maturation. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2024; 187:38-50. [PMID: 38160640 PMCID: PMC10923079 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2023.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
The heart undergoes a dynamic maturation process following birth, in response to a wide range of stimuli, including both physiological and pathological cues. This process entails substantial re-programming of mitochondrial energy metabolism coincident with the emergence of specialized structural and contractile machinery to meet the demands of the adult heart. Many components of this program revert to a more "fetal" format during development of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. In this review, emphasis is placed on recent progress in our understanding of the transcriptional control of cardiac maturation, encompassing the results of studies spanning from in vivo models to cardiomyocytes derived from human stem cells. The potential applications of this current state of knowledge to new translational avenues aimed at the treatment of heart failure is also addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomoya Sakamoto
- Cardiovascular Institute, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Daniel P Kelly
- Cardiovascular Institute, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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13
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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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14
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Goldstein AJ, Padgett RM, Bremner SB, Higashi T, Obenaus AM, Bolduan S, Mack DL, Sniadecki NJ. Engineered Heart Tissues for Standard 96-Well Tissue Culture Plates. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2805:89-100. [PMID: 39008175 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3854-5_5] [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] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Engineered heart tissues (EHTs) have been shown to be a valuable platform for disease investigation and therapeutic testing by increasing human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) maturity and better recreating the native cardiac environment. The protocol detailed in this chapter describes the generation of miniaturized EHTs (mEHTs) incorporating hiPSC-CMs and human stromal cells in a fibrin hydrogel. This platform utilizes an array of silicone posts designed to fit in a standard 96-well tissue culture plate. Stromal cells and hiPSC-CMs are cast in a fibrin matrix suspended between two silicone posts, forming an mEHT that produces synchronous muscle contractions. The platform presented here has the potential to be used for high throughput characterization and screening of disease phenotypes and novel therapeutics through measurements of the myocardial function, including contractile force and calcium handling, and its compatibility with immunostaining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex J Goldstein
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ruby M Padgett
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Samantha B Bremner
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ty Higashi
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ava M Obenaus
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sam Bolduan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David L Mack
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nathan J Sniadecki
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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15
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Deir S, Mozhdehbakhsh Mofrad Y, Mashayekhan S, Shamloo A, Mansoori-Kermani A. Step-by-step fabrication of heart-on-chip systems as models for cardiac disease modeling and drug screening. Talanta 2024; 266:124901. [PMID: 37459786 DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2023.124901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases are caused by hereditary factors, environmental conditions, and medication-related issues. On the other hand, the cardiotoxicity of drugs should be thoroughly examined before entering the market. In this regard, heart-on-chip (HOC) systems have been developed as a more efficient and cost-effective solution than traditional methods, such as 2D cell culture and animal models. HOCs must replicate the biology, physiology, and pathology of human heart tissue to be considered a reliable platform for heart disease modeling and drug testing. Therefore, many efforts have been made to find the best methods to fabricate different parts of HOCs and to improve the bio-mimicry of the systems in the last decade. Beating HOCs with different platforms have been developed and techniques, such as fabricating pumpless HOCs, have been used to make HOCs more user-friendly systems. Recent HOC platforms have the ability to simultaneously induce and record electrophysiological stimuli. Additionally, systems including both heart and cancer tissue have been developed to investigate tissue-tissue interactions' effect on cardiac tissue response to cancer drugs. In this review, all steps needed to be considered to fabricate a HOC were introduced, including the choice of cellular resources, biomaterials, fabrication techniques, biomarkers, and corresponding biosensors. Moreover, the current HOCs used for modeling cardiac diseases and testing the drugs are discussed. We finally introduced some suggestions for fabricating relatively more user-friendly HOCs and facilitating the commercialization process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Deir
- School of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yasaman Mozhdehbakhsh Mofrad
- Nano-Bioengineering Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shohreh Mashayekhan
- School of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Amir Shamloo
- Nano-Bioengineering Lab, School of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
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16
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Ahmed DW, Eiken MK, DePalma SJ, Helms AS, Zemans RL, Spence JR, Baker BM, Loebel C. Integrating mechanical cues with engineered platforms to explore cardiopulmonary development and disease. iScience 2023; 26:108472. [PMID: 38077130 PMCID: PMC10698280 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Mechanical forces provide critical biological signals to cells during healthy and aberrant organ development as well as during disease processes in adults. Within the cardiopulmonary system, mechanical forces, such as shear, compressive, and tensile forces, act across various length scales, and dysregulated forces are often a leading cause of disease initiation and progression such as in bronchopulmonary dysplasia and cardiomyopathies. Engineered in vitro models have supported studies of mechanical forces in a number of tissue and disease-specific contexts, thus enabling new mechanistic insights into cardiopulmonary development and disease. This review first provides fundamental examples where mechanical forces operate at multiple length scales to ensure precise lung and heart function. Next, we survey recent engineering platforms and tools that have provided new means to probe and modulate mechanical forces across in vitro and in vivo settings. Finally, the potential for interdisciplinary collaborations to inform novel therapeutic approaches for a number of cardiopulmonary diseases are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donia W. Ahmed
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Madeline K. Eiken
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Samuel J. DePalma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Adam S. Helms
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Rachel L. Zemans
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine – Gastroenterology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jason R. Spence
- Department of Internal Medicine – Gastroenterology, University of Michigan, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Brendon M. Baker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Claudia Loebel
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Lurie Biomedical Engineering Building, 1101 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Michigan, North Campus Research Complex, 2800 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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17
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Jilberto J, DePalma SJ, Lo J, Kobeissi H, Quach L, Lejeune E, Baker BM, Nordsletten D. A data-driven computational model for engineered cardiac microtissues. Acta Biomater 2023; 172:123-134. [PMID: 37879587 PMCID: PMC10938557 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2023.10.025] [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: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Engineered heart tissues (EHTs) present a potential solution to some of the current challenges in the treatment of heart disease; however, the development of mature, adult-like cardiac tissues remains elusive. Mechanical stimuli have been observed to improve whole-tissue function and cardiomyocyte (CM) maturation, although our ability to fully utilize these mechanisms is hampered, in part, by our incomplete understanding of the mechanobiology of EHTs. In this work, we leverage experimental data, produced by a mechanically tunable experimental setup, to introduce a tissue-specific computational modeling pipeline of EHTs. Our new modeling pipeline generates simulated, image-based EHTs, capturing ECM and myofibrillar structure as well as functional parameters estimated directly from experimental data. This approach enables the unique estimation of EHT function by data-based estimation of CM active stresses. We use this experimental and modeling pipeline to study different mechanical environments, where we contrast the force output of the tissue with the computed active stress of CMs. We show that the significant differences in measured experimental forces can largely be explained by the levels of myofibril formation achieved by the CMs in the distinct mechanical environments, with active stress showing more muted variations across conditions. The presented model also enables us to dissect the relative contributions of myofibrils and extracellular matrix to tissue force output, a task difficult to address experimentally. These results highlight the importance of tissue-specific modeling to augment EHT experiments, providing deeper insights into the mechanobiology driving EHT function. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Engineered heart tissues (EHTs) have the potential to revolutionize the way heart disease is treated. However, developing mature cardiomyocytes (CM) in these tissues remains a challenge due, in part, to our incomplete understanding of the fundamental biomechanical mechanisms that drive EHT development. This work integrates the experimental data of an EHT platform developed to study the influence of mechanics in CM maturation with computational biomechanical models. This approach is used to augment conclusions obtained in-vitro - by measuring quantities such as cell stress and strain - and to dissect the relevance of each component in the whole tissue performance. Our results show how a combination of specialized in-silico and in-vitro approaches can help us better understand the mechanobiology of EHTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javiera Jilberto
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, MI, USA.
| | - Samuel J DePalma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, MI, USA
| | - Jason Lo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, MI, USA
| | - Hiba Kobeissi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, MA, USA
| | - Lani Quach
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, MI, USA
| | - Emma Lejeune
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Boston University, MA, USA
| | - Brendon M Baker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, MI, USA
| | - David Nordsletten
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, MI, USA; Department of Cardiac Surgery, University of Michigan, MI, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Imaging Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, King's College London, London, UK
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18
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Fujiwara Y, Miki K, Deguchi K, Naka Y, Sasaki M, Sakoda A, Narita M, Imaichi S, Sugo T, Funakoshi S, Nishimoto T, Imahashi K, Yoshida Y. ERRγ agonist under mechanical stretching manifests hypertrophic cardiomyopathy phenotypes of engineered cardiac tissue through maturation. Stem Cell Reports 2023; 18:2108-2122. [PMID: 37802074 PMCID: PMC10679535 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.09.003] [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: 10/16/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Engineered cardiac tissue (ECT) using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes is a promising tool for modeling heart disease. However, tissue immaturity makes robust disease modeling difficult. Here, we established a method for modeling hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) malignant (MYH7 R719Q) and nonmalignant (MYBPC3 G115∗) pathogenic sarcomere gene mutations by accelerating ECT maturation using an ERRγ agonist, T112, and mechanical stretching. ECTs treated with T112 under 10% elongation stimulation exhibited more organized and mature characteristics. Whereas matured ECTs with the MYH7 R719Q mutation showed broad HCM phenotypes, including hypertrophy, hypercontraction, diastolic dysfunction, myofibril misalignment, fibrotic change, and glycolytic activation, matured MYBPC3 G115∗ ECTs displayed limited phenotypes, which were primarily observed only under our new maturation protocol (i.e., hypertrophy). Altogether, ERRγ activation combined with mechanical stimulation enhanced ECT maturation, leading to a more accurate manifestation of HCM phenotypes, including non-cardiomyocyte activation, consistent with clinical observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuya Fujiwara
- Center for iPS Cells Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Takeda-CiRA Joint Program, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Kenji Miki
- Center for iPS Cells Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Center for Organ Engineering, Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Kohei Deguchi
- Takeda-CiRA Joint Program, Fujisawa, Japan; T-CiRA Discovery, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Yuki Naka
- Center for iPS Cells Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Takeda-CiRA Joint Program, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Masako Sasaki
- Center for iPS Cells Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Takeda-CiRA Joint Program, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Ayaka Sakoda
- Takeda-CiRA Joint Program, Fujisawa, Japan; T-CiRA Discovery, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Megumi Narita
- Center for iPS Cells Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sachiko Imaichi
- Pharmaceutical Science, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Japan
| | | | - Shunsuke Funakoshi
- Center for iPS Cells Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Takeda-CiRA Joint Program, Fujisawa, Japan
| | | | - Kenichi Imahashi
- Takeda-CiRA Joint Program, Fujisawa, Japan; T-CiRA Discovery, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Yoshida
- Center for iPS Cells Research and Application, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; Takeda-CiRA Joint Program, Fujisawa, Japan.
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19
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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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20
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Osten F, Weber N, Wendland M, Holler T, Piep B, Kröhn S, Teske J, Bodenschatz AK, Devadas SB, Menge KS, Chatterjee S, Schwanke K, Kosanke M, Montag J, Thum T, Zweigerdt R, Kraft T, Iorga B, Meissner JD. Myosin expression and contractile function are altered by replating stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:e202313377. [PMID: 37656049 PMCID: PMC10473967 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202313377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Myosin heavy chain (MyHC) is the main determinant of contractile function. Human ventricular cardiomyocytes (CMs) predominantly express the β-isoform. We previously demonstrated that ∼80% of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) express exclusively β-MyHC after long-term culture on laminin-coated glass coverslips. Here, we investigated the impact of enzymatically detaching hESC-CMs after long-term culture and subsequently replating them for characterization of cellular function. We observed that force-related kinetic parameters, as measured in a micromechanical setup, resembled α- rather than β-MyHC-expressing myofibrils, as well as changes in calcium transients. Single-cell immunofluorescence analysis revealed that replating hESC-CMs led to rapid upregulation of α-MyHC, as indicated by increases in exclusively α-MyHC- and in mixed α/β-MyHC-expressing hESC-CMs. A comparable increase in heterogeneity of MyHC isoform expression was also found among individual human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived CMs after replating. Changes in MyHC isoform expression and cardiomyocyte function induced by replating were reversible in the course of the second week after replating. Gene enrichment analysis based on RNA-sequencing data revealed changes in the expression profile of mechanosensation/-transduction-related genes and pathways, especially integrin-associated signaling. Accordingly, the integrin downstream mediator focal adhesion kinase (FAK) promoted β-MyHC expression on a stiff matrix, further validating gene enrichment analysis. To conclude, detachment and replating induced substantial changes in gene expression, MyHC isoform composition, and function of long-term cultivated human stem cell-derived CMs, thus inducing alterations in mechanosensation/-transduction, that need to be considered, particularly for downstream in vitro assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Osten
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Natalie Weber
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Meike Wendland
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Tim Holler
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Birgit Piep
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Simon Kröhn
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jana Teske
- Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Alea K. Bodenschatz
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Santoshi Biswanath Devadas
- Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Kaja S. Menge
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Shambhabi Chatterjee
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Kristin Schwanke
- Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Maike Kosanke
- Research Core Unit Genomics, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Judith Montag
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Thum
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- REBIRTH Center for Translational Regenerative Therapies, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Hannover, Germany
| | - Robert Zweigerdt
- Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery, Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Theresia Kraft
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Bogdan Iorga
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Analytical Chemistry and Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Joachim D. Meissner
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Physiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
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21
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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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22
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Guo J, Jiang H, Schuftan D, Moreno JD, Ramahdita G, Aryan L, Bhagavan D, Silva J, Huebsch N. Mechanical Resistance to Micro-Heart Tissue Contractility unveils early Structural and Functional Pathology in iPSC Models of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.30.564856. [PMID: 37961198 PMCID: PMC10634965 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.30.564856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common cause of sudden death in the young. Because the disease exhibits variable penetrance, there are likely nongenetic factors that contribute to the manifestation of the disease phenotype. Clinically, hypertension is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with HCM, suggesting a potential synergistic role for the sarcomeric mutations associated with HCM and mechanical stress on the heart. We developed an in vitro physiological model to investigate how the afterload that the heart muscle works against during contraction acts together with HCM-linked MYBPC3 mutations to trigger a disease phenotype. Micro-heart muscle arrays (μHM) were engineered from iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes bearing MYBPC3 loss-of-function mutations and challenged to contract against mechanical resistance with substrates stiffnesses ranging from the of embryonic hearts (0.4 kPa) up to the stiffness of fibrotic adult hearts (114 kPa). Whereas MYBPC3 +/- iPSC-cardiomyocytes showed little signs of disease pathology in standard 2D culture, μHMs that included components of afterload revealed several hallmarks of HCM, including cellular hypertrophy, impaired contractile energetics, and maladaptive calcium handling. Remarkably, we discovered changes in troponin C and T localization in the MYBPC3 +/- μHM that were entirely absent in 2D culture. Pharmacologic studies suggested that excessive Ca 2+ intake through membrane-embedded channels, rather than sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ ATPase (SERCA) dysfunction or Ca 2+ buffering at myofilaments underlie the observed electrophysiological abnormalities. These results illustrate the power of physiologically relevant engineered tissue models to study inherited disease mechanisms with iPSC technology.
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23
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DePalma SJ, Jillberto J, Stis AE, Huang DD, Lo J, Davidson CD, Chowdhury A, Jewett ME, Kobeissi H, Chen CS, Lejeune E, Helms AS, Nordsletten DA, Baker BM. Matrix architecture and mechanics regulate myofibril organization, costamere assembly, and contractility of engineered myocardial microtissues. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.10.20.563346. [PMID: 37961415 PMCID: PMC10634701 DOI: 10.1101/2023.10.20.563346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The mechanical function of the myocardium is defined by cardiomyocyte contractility and the biomechanics of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Understanding this relationship remains an important unmet challenge due to limitations in existing approaches for engineering myocardial tissue. Here, we established arrays of cardiac microtissues with tunable mechanics and architecture by integrating ECM-mimetic synthetic, fiber matrices and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs), enabling real-time contractility readouts, in-depth structural assessment, and tissue-specific computational modeling. We find that the stiffness and alignment of matrix fibers distinctly affect the structural development and contractile function of pure iPSC-CM tissues. Further examination into the impact of fibrous matrix stiffness enabled by computational models and quantitative immunofluorescence implicates cell-ECM interactions in myofibril assembly and notably costamere assembly, which correlates with improved contractile function of tissues. These results highlight how iPSC-CM tissue models with controllable architecture and mechanics can inform the design of translatable regenerative cardiac therapies.
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24
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Benko A, Webster TJ. How to fix a broken heart-designing biofunctional cues for effective, environmentally-friendly cardiac tissue engineering. Front Chem 2023; 11:1267018. [PMID: 37901157 PMCID: PMC10602933 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2023.1267018] [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: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases bear strong socioeconomic and ecological impact on the worldwide healthcare system. A large consumption of goods, use of polymer-based cardiovascular biomaterials, and long hospitalization times add up to an extensive carbon footprint on the environment often turning out to be ineffective at healing such cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, cardiac cell toxicity is among the most severe but common side effect of drugs used to treat numerous diseases from COVID-19 to diabetes, often resulting in the withdrawal of such pharmaceuticals from the market. Currently, most patients that have suffered from cardiovascular disease will never fully recover. All of these factors further contribute to the extensive negative toll pharmaceutical, biotechnological, and biomedical companies have on the environment. Hence, there is a dire need to develop new environmentally-friendly strategies that on the one hand would promise cardiac tissue regeneration after damage and on the other hand would offer solutions for the fast screening of drugs to ensure that they do not cause cardiovascular toxicity. Importantly, both require one thing-a mature, functioning cardiac tissue that can be fabricated in a fast, reliable, and repeatable manner from environmentally friendly biomaterials in the lab. This is not an easy task to complete as numerous approaches have been undertaken, separately and combined, to achieve it. This review gathers such strategies and provides insights into which succeed or fail and what is needed for the field of environmentally-friendly cardiac tissue engineering to prosper.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas J. Webster
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, China
- School of Engineering, Saveetha University, Chennai, India
- Program in Materials Science, UFPI, Teresina, Brazil
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25
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Fischer B, Gwinner F, Gepp MM, Schulz A, Danz K, Dehne A, Katsen-Globa A, Neubauer JC, Gentile L, Zimmermann H. A highly versatile biopolymer-based platform for the maturation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes enables functional analysis in vitro and 3D printing of heart patches. J Biomed Mater Res A 2023; 111:1600-1615. [PMID: 37317666 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) represent a valuable tool for in vitro modeling of the cardiac niche and possess great potential in tissue engineering applications. However, conventional polystyrene-based cell culture substrates have adverse effects on cardiomyocytes in vitro due to the stress applied by a stiff substrate on contractile cells. Ultra-high viscosity alginates offer a unique versatility as tunable substrates for cardiac cell cultures due to their biocompatibility, flexible biofunctionalization, and stability. In this work, we analyzed the effect of alginate substrates on hPSC-CM maturity and functionality. Alginate substrates in high-throughput compatible culture formats fostered a more mature gene expression and enabled the simultaneous assessment of chronotropic and inotropic effects upon beta-adrenergic stimulation. Furthermore, we produced 3D-printed alginate scaffolds with differing mechanical properties and plated hPSC-CMs on the surface of these to create Heart Patches for tissue engineering applications. These exhibited synchronous macro-contractions in concert with more mature gene expression patterns and extensive intracellular alignment of sarcomeric structures. In conclusion, the combination of biofunctionalized alginates and human cardiomyocytes represents a valuable tool for both in vitro modeling and regenerative medicine, due to its beneficial effects on cardiomyocyte physiology, the possibility to analyze cardiac contractility, and its applicability as Heart Patches.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Fischer
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
- Fraunhofer Project Center for Stem Cell Process Engineering, Würzburg, Germany
| | - F Gwinner
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
| | - M M Gepp
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
- Fraunhofer Project Center for Stem Cell Process Engineering, Würzburg, Germany
| | - A Schulz
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
| | - K Danz
- Department of Bioprocessing and Bioanalytics, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
| | - A Dehne
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
| | - A Katsen-Globa
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
| | - J C Neubauer
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
- Fraunhofer Project Center for Stem Cell Process Engineering, Würzburg, Germany
| | - L Gentile
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
| | - H Zimmermann
- Department of Stem Cell & Cryo Technology, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
- Fraunhofer Project Center for Stem Cell Process Engineering, Würzburg, Germany
- Chair for Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology, Saarland University, Gebäude A, Saarbrücken, Germany
- Faculty of Marine Science, Universidad Católica del Norte, Coquimbo, Chile
- Department of Bioprocessing and Bioanalytics, Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Sulzbach, Germany
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26
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Ramachandran A, Livingston CE, Vite A, Corbin EA, Bennett AI, Turner KT, Lee BW, Lam CK, Wu JC, Margulies KB. Biomechanical Impact of Pathogenic MYBPC3 Truncation Variant Revealed by Dynamically Tuning In Vitro Afterload. J Cardiovasc Transl Res 2023; 16:828-841. [PMID: 36877449 PMCID: PMC10480352 DOI: 10.1007/s12265-022-10348-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Engineered cardiac microtissues were fabricated using pluripotent stem cells with a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy associated c. 2827 C>T; p.R943x truncation variant in myosin binding protein C (MYBPC3+/-). Microtissues were mounted on iron-incorporated cantilevers, allowing manipulations of cantilever stiffness using magnets, enabling examination of how in vitro afterload affects contractility. MYPBC3+/- microtissues developed augmented force, work, and power when cultured with increased in vitro afterload when compared with isogenic controls in which the MYBPC3 mutation had been corrected (MYPBC3+/+(ed)), but weaker contractility when cultured with lower in vitro afterload. After initial tissue maturation, MYPBC3+/- CMTs exhibited increased force, work, and power in response to both acute and sustained increases of in vitro afterload. Together, these studies demonstrate that extrinsic biomechanical challenges potentiate genetically-driven intrinsic increases in contractility that may contribute to clinical disease progression in patients with HCM due to hypercontractile MYBPC3 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhinay Ramachandran
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, 11-101, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Carissa E Livingston
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, 11-101, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Alexia Vite
- Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Elise A Corbin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
- Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, DE, 19803, USA
| | - Alexander I Bennett
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kevin T Turner
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Benjamin W Lee
- Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Chi Keung Lam
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19716, USA
| | - Joseph C Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - Kenneth B Margulies
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Smilow Center for Translational Research, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, 11-101, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Cardiovascular Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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27
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Vuorenpää H, Björninen M, Välimäki H, Ahola A, Kroon M, Honkamäki L, Koivumäki JT, Pekkanen-Mattila M. Building blocks of microphysiological system to model physiology and pathophysiology of human heart. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1213959. [PMID: 37485060 PMCID: PMC10358860 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1213959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Microphysiological systems (MPS) are drawing increasing interest from academia and from biomedical industry due to their improved capability to capture human physiology. MPS offer an advanced in vitro platform that can be used to study human organ and tissue level functions in health and in diseased states more accurately than traditional single cell cultures or even animal models. Key features in MPS include microenvironmental control and monitoring as well as high biological complexity of the target tissue. To reach these qualities, cross-disciplinary collaboration from multiple fields of science is required to build MPS. Here, we review different areas of expertise and describe essential building blocks of heart MPS including relevant cardiac cell types, supporting matrix, mechanical stimulation, functional measurements, and computational modelling. The review presents current methods in cardiac MPS and provides insights for future MPS development with improved recapitulation of human physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Vuorenpää
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Adult Stem Cell Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Research, Development and Innovation Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Miina Björninen
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Adult Stem Cell Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Research, Development and Innovation Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Hannu Välimäki
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Antti Ahola
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Computational Biophysics and Imaging Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mart Kroon
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Laura Honkamäki
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Neuro Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jussi T. Koivumäki
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Computational Biophysics and Imaging Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mari Pekkanen-Mattila
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Heart Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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28
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Correia CD, Ferreira A, Fernandes MT, Silva BM, Esteves F, Leitão HS, Bragança J, Calado SM. Human Stem Cells for Cardiac Disease Modeling and Preclinical and Clinical Applications—Are We on the Road to Success? Cells 2023; 12:1727. [DOI: https:/doi.org/10.3390/cells12131727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are pointed out by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the leading cause of death, contributing to a significant and growing global health and economic burden. Despite advancements in clinical approaches, there is a critical need for innovative cardiovascular treatments to improve patient outcomes. Therapies based on adult stem cells (ASCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have emerged as promising strategies to regenerate damaged cardiac tissue and restore cardiac function. Moreover, the generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells has opened new avenues for disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine applications, with fewer ethical concerns than those associated with ESCs. Herein, we provide a state-of-the-art review on the application of human pluripotent stem cells in CVD research and clinics. We describe the types and sources of stem cells that have been tested in preclinical and clinical trials for the treatment of CVDs as well as the applications of pluripotent stem-cell-derived in vitro systems to mimic disease phenotypes. How human stem-cell-based in vitro systems can overcome the limitations of current toxicological studies is also discussed. Finally, the current state of clinical trials involving stem-cell-based approaches to treat CVDs are presented, and the strengths and weaknesses are critically discussed to assess whether researchers and clinicians are getting closer to success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cátia D. Correia
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Anita Ferreira
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Mónica T. Fernandes
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- School of Health, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Bárbara M. Silva
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Filipa Esteves
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Helena S. Leitão
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - José Bragança
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Champalimaud Research Program, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sofia M. Calado
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
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29
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Correia CD, Ferreira A, Fernandes MT, Silva BM, Esteves F, Leitão HS, Bragança J, Calado SM. Human Stem Cells for Cardiac Disease Modeling and Preclinical and Clinical Applications-Are We on the Road to Success? Cells 2023; 12:1727. [PMID: 37443761 PMCID: PMC10341347 DOI: 10.3390/cells12131727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are pointed out by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the leading cause of death, contributing to a significant and growing global health and economic burden. Despite advancements in clinical approaches, there is a critical need for innovative cardiovascular treatments to improve patient outcomes. Therapies based on adult stem cells (ASCs) and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have emerged as promising strategies to regenerate damaged cardiac tissue and restore cardiac function. Moreover, the generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells has opened new avenues for disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine applications, with fewer ethical concerns than those associated with ESCs. Herein, we provide a state-of-the-art review on the application of human pluripotent stem cells in CVD research and clinics. We describe the types and sources of stem cells that have been tested in preclinical and clinical trials for the treatment of CVDs as well as the applications of pluripotent stem-cell-derived in vitro systems to mimic disease phenotypes. How human stem-cell-based in vitro systems can overcome the limitations of current toxicological studies is also discussed. Finally, the current state of clinical trials involving stem-cell-based approaches to treat CVDs are presented, and the strengths and weaknesses are critically discussed to assess whether researchers and clinicians are getting closer to success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cátia D. Correia
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (C.D.C.); (A.F.); (M.T.F.); (B.M.S.); (F.E.); (H.S.L.); (J.B.)
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Anita Ferreira
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (C.D.C.); (A.F.); (M.T.F.); (B.M.S.); (F.E.); (H.S.L.); (J.B.)
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Mónica T. Fernandes
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (C.D.C.); (A.F.); (M.T.F.); (B.M.S.); (F.E.); (H.S.L.); (J.B.)
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- School of Health, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Bárbara M. Silva
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (C.D.C.); (A.F.); (M.T.F.); (B.M.S.); (F.E.); (H.S.L.); (J.B.)
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Filipa Esteves
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (C.D.C.); (A.F.); (M.T.F.); (B.M.S.); (F.E.); (H.S.L.); (J.B.)
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Helena S. Leitão
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (C.D.C.); (A.F.); (M.T.F.); (B.M.S.); (F.E.); (H.S.L.); (J.B.)
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - José Bragança
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (C.D.C.); (A.F.); (M.T.F.); (B.M.S.); (F.E.); (H.S.L.); (J.B.)
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Champalimaud Research Program, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sofia M. Calado
- Algarve Biomedical Center Research Institute (ABC-RI), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal; (C.D.C.); (A.F.); (M.T.F.); (B.M.S.); (F.E.); (H.S.L.); (J.B.)
- Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Universidade do Algarve—Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
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Lee S, Roest ASV, Blair CA, Kao K, Bremner SB, Childers MC, Pathak D, Heinrich P, Lee D, Chirikian O, Mohran S, Roberts B, Smith JE, Jahng JW, Paik DT, Wu JC, Gunawardane RN, Spudich JA, Ruppel K, Mack D, Pruitt BL, Regnier M, Wu SM, Bernstein D. Multi-scale models reveal hypertrophic cardiomyopathy MYH7 G256E mutation drives hypercontractility and elevated mitochondrial respiration. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.08.544276. [PMID: 37333118 PMCID: PMC10274883 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.08.544276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Rationale Over 200 mutations in the sarcomeric protein β-myosin heavy chain (MYH7) have been linked to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, different mutations in MYH7 lead to variable penetrance and clinical severity, and alter myosin function to varying degrees, making it difficult to determine genotype-phenotype relationships, especially when caused by rare gene variants such as the G256E mutation. Objective This study aims to determine the effects of low penetrant MYH7 G256E mutation on myosin function. We hypothesize that the G256E mutation would alter myosin function, precipitating compensatory responses in cellular functions. Methods We developed a collaborative pipeline to characterize myosin function at multiple scales (protein to myofibril to cell to tissue). We also used our previously published data on other mutations to compare the degree to which myosin function was altered. Results At the protein level, the G256E mutation disrupts the transducer region of the S1 head and reduces the fraction of myosin in the folded-back state by 50.9%, suggesting more myosins available for contraction. Myofibrils isolated from hiPSC-CMs CRISPR-edited with G256E (MYH7 WT/G256E ) generated greater tension, had faster tension development and slower early phase relaxation, suggesting altered myosin-actin crossbridge cycling kinetics. This hypercontractile phenotype persisted in single-cell hiPSC-CMs and engineered heart tissues. Single-cell transcriptomic and metabolic profiling demonstrated upregulation of mitochondrial genes and increased mitochondrial respiration, suggesting altered bioenergetics as an early feature of HCM. Conclusions MYH7 G256E mutation causes structural instability in the transducer region, leading to hypercontractility across scales, perhaps from increased myosin recruitment and altered crossbridge cycling. Hypercontractile function of the mutant myosin was accompanied by increased mitochondrial respiration, while cellular hypertrophy was modest in the physiological stiffness environment. We believe that this multi-scale platform will be useful to elucidate genotype-phenotype relationships underlying other genetic cardiovascular diseases.
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In vitro cell stretching devices and their applications: From cardiomyogenic differentiation to tissue engineering. MEDICINE IN NOVEL TECHNOLOGY AND DEVICES 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.medntd.2023.100220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
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Eisen B, Binah O. Modeling Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Cardiomyopathy with Patients' Induced Pluripotent Stem-Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108657. [PMID: 37240001 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108657] [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: 04/20/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked progressive muscle degenerative disease caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, resulting in death by the end of the third decade of life at the latest. A key aspect of the DMD clinical phenotype is dilated cardiomyopathy, affecting virtually all patients by the end of the second decade of life. Furthermore, despite respiratory complications still being the leading cause of death, with advancements in medical care in recent years, cardiac involvement has become an increasing cause of mortality. Over the years, extensive research has been conducted using different DMD animal models, including the mdx mouse. While these models present certain important similarities to human DMD patients, they also have some differences which pose a challenge to researchers. The development of somatic cell reprograming technology has enabled generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) which can be differentiated into different cell types. This technology provides a potentially endless pool of human cells for research. Furthermore, hiPSCs can be generated from patients, thus providing patient-specific cells and enabling research tailored to different mutations. DMD cardiac involvement has been shown in animal models to include changes in gene expression of different proteins, abnormal cellular Ca2+ handling, and other aberrations. To gain a better understanding of the disease mechanisms, it is imperative to validate these findings in human cells. Furthermore, with the recent advancements in gene-editing technology, hiPSCs provide a valuable platform for research and development of new therapies including the possibility of regenerative medicine. In this article, we review the DMD cardiac-related research performed so far using human hiPSCs-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) carrying DMD mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binyamin Eisen
- Cardiac Research Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Ofer Binah
- Cardiac Research Laboratory, Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Systems Biology, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
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Rivera‐Arbeláez JM, Keekstra D, Cofiño‐Fabres C, Boonen T, Dostanic M, ten Den SA, Vermeul K, Mastrangeli M, van den Berg A, Segerink LI, Ribeiro MC, Strisciuglio N, Passier R. Automated assessment of human engineered heart tissues using deep learning and template matching for segmentation and tracking. Bioeng Transl Med 2023; 8:e10513. [PMID: 37206226 PMCID: PMC10189437 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The high rate of drug withdrawal from the market due to cardiovascular toxicity or lack of efficacy, the economic burden, and extremely long time before a compound reaches the market, have increased the relevance of human in vitro models like human (patient-derived) pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived engineered heart tissues (EHTs) for the evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of compounds at the early phase in the drug development pipeline. Consequently, the EHT contractile properties are highly relevant parameters for the analysis of cardiotoxicity, disease phenotype, and longitudinal measurements of cardiac function over time. In this study, we developed and validated the software HAARTA (Highly Accurate, Automatic and Robust Tracking Algorithm), which automatically analyzes contractile properties of EHTs by segmenting and tracking brightfield videos, using deep learning and template matching with sub-pixel precision. We demonstrate the robustness, accuracy, and computational efficiency of the software by comparing it to the state-of-the-art method (MUSCLEMOTION), and by testing it with a data set of EHTs from three different hPSC lines. HAARTA will facilitate standardized analysis of contractile properties of EHTs, which will be beneficial for in vitro drug screening and longitudinal measurements of cardiac function.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M. Rivera‐Arbeláez
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed CentreUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, TechMed Centre, Max Planck Institute for Complex Fluid DynamicsUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
| | - Danjel Keekstra
- Data Management & Biometrics (DMB) GroupUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
| | - Carla Cofiño‐Fabres
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed CentreUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
| | | | | | - Simone A. ten Den
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed CentreUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
| | - Kim Vermeul
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed CentreUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
| | | | - Albert van den Berg
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, TechMed Centre, Max Planck Institute for Complex Fluid DynamicsUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
| | - Loes I. Segerink
- BIOS Lab on a Chip Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, TechMed Centre, Max Planck Institute for Complex Fluid DynamicsUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
| | | | - Nicola Strisciuglio
- Data Management & Biometrics (DMB) GroupUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
| | - Robert Passier
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed CentreUniversity of TwenteEnschedethe Netherlands
- Department of Anatomy and EmbryologyLeiden University Medical CentreLeidenthe Netherlands
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Loiben AM, Chien WM, Friedman CE, Chao LSL, Weber G, Goldstein A, Sniadecki NJ, Murry CE, Yang KC. Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis Is Associated with Contractile Dysfunction in Stem Cell Model of MYH7 E848G Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:4909. [PMID: 36902340 PMCID: PMC10003263 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24054909] [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: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Missense mutations in myosin heavy chain 7 (MYH7) are a common cause of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but the molecular mechanisms underlying MYH7-based HCM remain unclear. In this work, we generated cardiomyocytes derived from isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cells to model the heterozygous pathogenic MYH7 missense variant, E848G, which is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and adult-onset systolic dysfunction. MYH7E848G/+ increased cardiomyocyte size and reduced the maximum twitch forces of engineered heart tissue, consistent with the systolic dysfunction in MYH7E848G/+ HCM patients. Interestingly, MYH7E848G/+ cardiomyocytes more frequently underwent apoptosis that was associated with increased p53 activity relative to controls. However, genetic ablation of TP53 did not rescue cardiomyocyte survival or restore engineered heart tissue twitch force, indicating MYH7E848G/+ cardiomyocyte apoptosis and contractile dysfunction are p53-independent. Overall, our findings suggest that cardiomyocyte apoptosis is associated with the MYH7E848G/+ HCM phenotype in vitro and that future efforts to target p53-independent cell death pathways may be beneficial for the treatment of HCM patients with systolic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. Loiben
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Wei-Ming Chien
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Cardiology/Hospital Specialty Medicine, VA Puget Sound HCS, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
| | - Clayton E. Friedman
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Leslie S.-L. Chao
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Gerhard Weber
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Alex Goldstein
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Nathan J. Sniadecki
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Charles E. Murry
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Kai-Chun Yang
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
- Cardiology/Hospital Specialty Medicine, VA Puget Sound HCS, Seattle, WA 98108, USA
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Wang C, Ramahdita G, Genin G, Huebsch N, Ma Z. Dynamic mechanobiology of cardiac cells and tissues: Current status and future perspective. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2023; 4:011314. [PMID: 37008887 PMCID: PMC10062054 DOI: 10.1063/5.0141269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical forces impact cardiac cells and tissues over their entire lifespan, from development to growth and eventually to pathophysiology. However, the mechanobiological pathways that drive cell and tissue responses to mechanical forces are only now beginning to be understood, due in part to the challenges in replicating the evolving dynamic microenvironments of cardiac cells and tissues in a laboratory setting. Although many in vitro cardiac models have been established to provide specific stiffness, topography, or viscoelasticity to cardiac cells and tissues via biomaterial scaffolds or external stimuli, technologies for presenting time-evolving mechanical microenvironments have only recently been developed. In this review, we summarize the range of in vitro platforms that have been used for cardiac mechanobiological studies. We provide a comprehensive review on phenotypic and molecular changes of cardiomyocytes in response to these environments, with a focus on how dynamic mechanical cues are transduced and deciphered. We conclude with our vision of how these findings will help to define the baseline of heart pathology and of how these in vitro systems will potentially serve to improve the development of therapies for heart diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ghiska Ramahdita
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | | | | | - Zhen Ma
- Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: and
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Loiben AM, Chien WM, Friedman CE, Chao LSL, Weber G, Goldstein A, Sniadecki N, Murry CE, Yang KC. Cardiomyocyte apoptosis contributes to contractile dysfunction in stem cell model of MYH7 E848G hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.24.525458. [PMID: 36747800 PMCID: PMC9900838 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.24.525458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Missense mutations in myosin heavy chain 7 ( MYH7 ) are a common cause of hyper-trophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), but the molecular mechanisms underlying MYH7 -based HCM remain unclear. In this work, we generated cardiomyocytes derived from isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cells to model the heterozygous pathogenic MYH7 missense variant, E848G, which is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy and adultonset systolic dysfunction. MYH7 E848G/+ increased cardiomyocyte size and reduced the maximum twitch forces of engineered heart tissue, consistent with the systolic dysfunction in MYH7 E848G HCM patients. Interestingly, MYH7 E848G/+ cardiomyocytes more frequently underwent apoptosis that was associated with increased p53 activity relative to controls. However, genetic ablation of TP53 did not rescue cardiomyocyte survival or restore engineered heart tissue twitch force, indicating MYH7 E848G/+ cardiomyocyte apoptosis and contractile dysfunction are p53-independent. Overall, our findings suggest that cardiomyocyte apoptosis plays an important role in the MYH7 E848G/+ HCM phenotype in vitro and that future efforts to target p53-independent cell death pathways may be beneficial for the treatment of HCM patients with systolic dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. Loiben
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Wei-Ming Chien
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Cardiology/Hospital Specialty Medicine, VA Puget Sound HCS, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Clayton E. Friedman
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Leslie S-L. Chao
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Gerhard Weber
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alex Goldstein
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nathan Sniadecki
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Charles E. Murry
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Lab Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kai-Chun Yang
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Cardiology/Hospital Specialty Medicine, VA Puget Sound HCS, Seattle, WA, USA
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37
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Zhu K, Bao X, Wang Y, Lu T, Zhang L. Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocyte modelling of cardiovascular diseases for natural compound discovery. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 157:113970. [PMID: 36371854 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Natural compounds extracted from medicinal plants characterized by diverse biological activities and low toxicity or side effects, are increasingly taking center stage in the search for new drugs. Currently, preclinical evaluation of natural products relies mainly on the use of immortalized cell lines of human origin or animal models. Increasing evidence indicates that cardiomyopathy models based on immortalized cell lines do not recapitulate pathogenic phenotypes accurately and a substantial physiological discrepancy between animals and humans casts doubt on the clinical relevance of animal models for these studies. The newly developed human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology in combination with highly-efficient cardiomyocyte differentiation methods provides an ideal tool for modeling human cardiomyopathies in vitro. Screening of drugs, especially screening of natural products, based on these models has been widely used and has shown that evaluation in such models can recapitulate important aspects of the physiological properties of drugs. The purpose of this review is to provide information on the latest developments in this area of research and to help researchers perform screening of natural products using the hiPSC-CM platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyang Zhu
- Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Pathophysiology, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315211, PR China
| | - Xiaoming Bao
- Department of Cardiology, Hwa Mei Hospital, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang, PR China; Department of Global Health, Ningbo Institute of Life and Health Industry, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Yingchao Wang
- Innovation Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, PR China
| | - Ting Lu
- Clinical Research Center of The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, PR China.
| | - Ling Zhang
- College of Life Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, PR China.
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van der Velden J, Asselbergs FW, Bakkers J, Batkai S, Bertrand L, Bezzina CR, Bot I, Brundel BJJM, Carrier L, Chamuleau S, Ciccarelli M, Dawson D, Davidson SM, Dendorfer A, Duncker DJ, Eschenhagen T, Fabritz L, Falcão-Pires I, Ferdinandy P, Giacca M, Girao H, Gollmann-Tepeköylü C, Gyongyosi M, Guzik TJ, Hamdani N, Heymans S, Hilfiker A, Hilfiker-Kleiner D, Hoekstra AG, Hulot JS, Kuster DWD, van Laake LW, Lecour S, Leiner T, Linke WA, Lumens J, Lutgens E, Madonna R, Maegdefessel L, Mayr M, van der Meer P, Passier R, Perbellini F, Perrino C, Pesce M, Priori S, Remme CA, Rosenhahn B, Schotten U, Schulz R, Sipido KR, Sluijter JPG, van Steenbeek F, Steffens S, Terracciano CM, Tocchetti CG, Vlasman P, Yeung KK, Zacchigna S, Zwaagman D, Thum T. Animal models and animal-free innovations for cardiovascular research: current status and routes to be explored. Consensus document of the ESC Working Group on Myocardial Function and the ESC Working Group on Cellular Biology of the Heart. Cardiovasc Res 2022; 118:3016-3051. [PMID: 34999816 PMCID: PMC9732557 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvab370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality, necessitating research to improve diagnostics, and to discover and test novel preventive and curative therapies, all of which warrant experimental models that recapitulate human disease. The translation of basic science results to clinical practice is a challenging task, in particular for complex conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, which often result from multiple risk factors and comorbidities. This difficulty might lead some individuals to question the value of animal research, citing the translational 'valley of death', which largely reflects the fact that studies in rodents are difficult to translate to humans. This is also influenced by the fact that new, human-derived in vitro models can recapitulate aspects of disease processes. However, it would be a mistake to think that animal models do not represent a vital step in the translational pathway as they do provide important pathophysiological insights into disease mechanisms particularly on an organ and systemic level. While stem cell-derived human models have the potential to become key in testing toxicity and effectiveness of new drugs, we need to be realistic, and carefully validate all new human-like disease models. In this position paper, we highlight recent advances in trying to reduce the number of animals for cardiovascular research ranging from stem cell-derived models to in situ modelling of heart properties, bioinformatic models based on large datasets, and state-of-the-art animal models, which show clinically relevant characteristics observed in patients with a cardiovascular disease. We aim to provide a guide to help researchers in their experimental design to translate bench findings to clinical routine taking the replacement, reduction, and refinement (3R) as a guiding concept.
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Grants
- R01 HL150359 NHLBI NIH HHS
- RG/16/14/32397 British Heart Foundation
- FS/18/37/33642 British Heart Foundation
- PG/17/64/33205 British Heart Foundation
- PG/15/88/31780 British Heart Foundation
- FS/RTF/20/30009, NH/19/1/34595, PG/18/35/33786, CS/17/4/32960, PG/15/88/31780, and PG/17/64/33205 British Heart Foundation
- NC/T001488/1 National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research
- PG/18/44/33790 British Heart Foundation
- CH/16/3/32406 British Heart Foundation
- FS/RTF/20/30009 British Heart Foundation
- NWO-ZonMW
- ZonMW and Heart Foundation for the translational research program
- Dutch Cardiovascular Alliance (DCVA)
- Leducq Foundation
- Dutch Research Council
- Association of Collaborating Health Foundations (SGF)
- UCL Hospitals NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and the DCVA
- Netherlands CardioVascular Research Initiative CVON
- Stichting Hartekind and the Dutch Research Counsel (NWO) (OCENW.GROOT.2019.029)
- National Fund for Scientific Research, Belgium and Action de Recherche Concertée de la Communauté Wallonie-Bruxelles, Belgium
- Netherlands CardioVascular Research Initiative CVON (PREDICT2 and CONCOR-genes projects), the Leducq Foundation
- ERA PerMed (PROCEED study)
- Netherlands Cardiovascular Research Initiative
- Dutch Heart Foundation
- German Centre of Cardiovascular Research (DZHH)
- Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland
- Tenovus Scotland
- Friends of Anchor and Grampian NHS-Endowments
- National Institute for Health Research University College London Hospitals Biomedical Research Centre
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research
- European Research Council (ERC-AG IndivuHeart), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- European Union Horizon 2020 (REANIMA and TRAINHEART)
- German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
- Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)
- European Union Horizon 2020
- DFG
- National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary
- Research Excellence Program—TKP; National Heart Program
- Austrian Science Fund
- European Union Commission’s Seventh Framework programme
- CVON2016-Early HFPEF
- CVON She-PREDICTS
- CVON Arena-PRIME
- European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Volkswagenstiftung
- French National Research Agency
- ERA-Net-CVD
- Fédération Française de Cardiologie, the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale
- French PIA Project
- University Research Federation against heart failure
- Netherlands Heart Foundation
- Dekker Senior Clinical Scientist
- Health Holland TKI-LSH
- TUe/UMCU/UU Alliance Fund
- south African National Foundation
- Cancer Association of South Africa and Winetech
- Netherlands Heart Foundation/Applied & Engineering Sciences
- Dutch Technology Foundation
- Pie Medical Imaging
- Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research
- Dr. Dekker Program
- Netherlands CardioVascular Research Initiative: the Dutch Heart Foundation
- Dutch Federation of University Medical Centres
- Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences for the GENIUS-II project
- Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (VICI grant); the European Research Council
- Incyte s.r.l. and from Ministero dell’Istruzione, Università e Ricerca Scientifica
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (Junior Research Group & Translational Research Project), the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant NORVAS),
- Swedish Heart-Lung-Foundation
- Swedish Research Council
- National Institutes of Health
- Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care through the research project DigiMed Bayern
- ERC
- ERA-CVD
- Dutch Heart Foundation, ZonMw
- the NWO Gravitation project
- Ministero dell'Istruzione, Università e Ricerca Scientifica
- Regione Lombardia
- Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development
- ITN Network Personalize AF: Personalized Therapies for Atrial Fibrillation: a translational network
- MAESTRIA: Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence Early Detection Stroke Atrial Fibrillation
- REPAIR: Restoring cardiac mechanical function by polymeric artificial muscular tissue
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)
- European Union H2020 program to the project TECHNOBEAT
- EVICARE
- BRAV3
- ZonMw
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)
- British Heart Foundation Centre for Cardiac Regeneration
- British Heart Foundation studentship
- NC3Rs
- Interreg ITA-AUS project InCARDIO
- Italian Association for Cancer Research
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolanda van der Velden
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Folkert W Asselbergs
- Division Heart & Lungs, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Faculty of Population Health Sciences, Institute of Cardiovascular Science and Institute of Health Informatics, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jeroen Bakkers
- Hubrecht Institute-KNAW and University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sandor Batkai
- Hannover Medical School, Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies, Hannover, Germany
| | - Luc Bertrand
- Hannover Medical School, Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies, Hannover, Germany
| | - Connie R Bezzina
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pole of Cardiovascular Research, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ilze Bot
- Heart Center, Department of Experimental Cardiology, Amsterdam UMC, Location Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Division of BioTherapeutics, Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bianca J J M Brundel
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lucie Carrier
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Steven Chamuleau
- Amsterdam UMC, Heart Center, Cardiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Michele Ciccarelli
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Odontology, University of Salerno, Fisciano (SA), Italy
| | - Dana Dawson
- Department of Cardiology, Aberdeen Cardiovascular and Diabetes Centre, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Sean M Davidson
- The Hatter Cardiovascular Institute, University College London, 67 Chenies Mews, London WC1E 6HX, UK
| | - Andreas Dendorfer
- Walter-Brendel-Centre of Experimental Medicine, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Dirk J Duncker
- Division of Experimental Cardiology, Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcenter, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Eschenhagen
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Larissa Fabritz
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
- University Center of Cardiovascular Sciences and Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center Hamburg, Germany and Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Ines Falcão-Pires
- UnIC - Cardiovascular Research and Development Centre, Department of Surgery and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Portugal
| | - Péter Ferdinandy
- Cardiometabolic Research Group and MTA-SE System Pharmacology Research Group, Department of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary
- Pharmahungary Group, Szeged, Hungary
| | - Mauro Giacca
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences and Cardiovascular Department, Centre for Translational Cardiology, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Henrique Girao
- Univ Coimbra, Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra, Portugal
- Clinical Academic Centre of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | | | - Mariann Gyongyosi
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine II, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Tomasz J Guzik
- Instutute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
- Jagiellonian University, Collegium Medicum, Kraków, Poland
| | - Nazha Hamdani
- Division Cardiology, Molecular and Experimental Cardiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Institute of Physiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stephane Heymans
- Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Andres Hilfiker
- Department for Cardiothoracic, Transplant, and Vascular Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Denise Hilfiker-Kleiner
- Department for Cardiology and Angiology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Cardiovascular Complications in Pregnancy and in Oncologic Therapies, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
| | - Alfons G Hoekstra
- Computational Science Lab, Informatics Institute, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jean-Sébastien Hulot
- Université de Paris, INSERM, PARCC, F-75015 Paris, France
- CIC1418 and DMU CARTE, AP-HP, Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou, F-75015 Paris, France
| | - Diederik W D Kuster
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Linda W van Laake
- Division Heart & Lungs, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Sandrine Lecour
- Department of Medicine, Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa and Cape Heart Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Tim Leiner
- Department of Radiology, Utrecht University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Wolfgang A Linke
- Institute of Physiology II, University of Muenster, Robert-Koch-Str. 27B, 48149 Muenster, Germany
| | - Joost Lumens
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Esther Lutgens
- Experimental Vascular Biology Division, Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
- DZHK, Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Rosalinda Madonna
- Department of Pathology, Cardiology Division, University of Pisa, 56124 Pisa, Italy
- Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiology Division, University of Texas Medical School in Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Lars Maegdefessel
- DZHK, Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
- Department for Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Manuel Mayr
- King’s British Heart Foundation Centre, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Peter van der Meer
- Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Robert Passier
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, 7500AE Enschede, The Netherlands
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Filippo Perbellini
- Hannover Medical School, Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies, Hannover, Germany
| | - Cinzia Perrino
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Maurizio Pesce
- Unità di Ingegneria Tissutale Cardiovascolare, Centro cardiologico Monzino, IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Priori
- Molecular Cardiology, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, Pavia, Italy
- University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Carol Ann Remme
- Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Pole of Cardiovascular Research, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bodo Rosenhahn
- Institute for information Processing, Leibniz University of Hanover, 30167 Hannover, Germany
| | - Ulrich Schotten
- Department of Physiology, Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Rainer Schulz
- Institute of Physiology, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Karin R Sipido
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Joost P G Sluijter
- Experimental Cardiology Laboratory, Department of Cardiology, Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, Circulatory Health Laboratory, Utrecht University, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Frank van Steenbeek
- Division Heart & Lungs, Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Sabine Steffens
- Institute for Cardiovascular Prevention, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU), Munich, Germany
- DZHK, Partner Site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Carlo Gabriele Tocchetti
- Cardio-Oncology Unit, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Center for Basic and Clinical Immunology Research (CISI), Interdepartmental Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CIRCET), Interdepartmental Hypertension Research Center (CIRIAPA), Federico II University, Naples, Italy
| | - Patricia Vlasman
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kak Khee Yeung
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Surgery, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Serena Zacchigna
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences and Cardiovascular Department, Centre for Translational Cardiology, Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Integrata Trieste, Trieste, Italy
- International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste, Italy
| | - Dayenne Zwaagman
- Amsterdam UMC, Heart Center, Cardiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Thum
- Hannover Medical School, Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies, Hannover, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, Hannover, Germany
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Criscione J, Rezaei Z, Hernandez Cantu CM, Murphy S, Shin SR, Kim DH. Heart-on-a-chip platforms and biosensor integration for disease modeling and phenotypic drug screening. Biosens Bioelectron 2022; 220:114840. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2022.114840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Purnama U, Castro-Guarda M, Sahoo OS, Carr CA. Modelling Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: Using Human Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes to Complement Animal Models. Metabolites 2022; 12:metabo12090832. [PMID: 36144236 PMCID: PMC9503602 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12090832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 08/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Diabetes is a global epidemic, with cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death in diabetic patients. There is a pressing need for an in vitro model to aid understanding of the mechanisms driving diabetic heart disease, and to provide an accurate, reliable tool for drug testing. Human induced-pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have potential as a disease modelling tool. There are several factors that drive molecular changes inside cardiomyocytes contributing to diabetic cardiomyopathy, including hyperglycaemia, lipotoxicity and hyperinsulinemia. Here we discuss these factors and how they can be seen in animal models and utilised in cell culture to mimic the diabetic heart. The use of human iPSC-CMs will allow for a greater understanding of disease pathogenesis and open up new avenues for drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ujang Purnama
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Marcos Castro-Guarda
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
| | - Om Saswat Sahoo
- Department of Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Durgapur 713216, India
| | - Carolyn A. Carr
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PT, UK
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +44-1865-282247
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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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42
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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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43
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Printing biohybrid materials for bioelectronic cardio-3D-cellular constructs. iScience 2022; 25:104552. [PMID: 35784786 PMCID: PMC9240791 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Conductive hydrogels are emerging as promising materials for bioelectronic applications as they minimize the mismatch between biological and electronic systems. We propose a strategy to bioprint biohybrid conductive bioinks based on decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes. These inks contained conductive features and morphology of the dECM fibers. Electrical stimulation (ES) was applied to bioprinted structures containing human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs). It was observed that in the absence of external ES, the conductive properties of the materials can improve the contractile behavior of the hPSC-CMs, and this effect is enhanced under the application of external ES. Genetic markers indicated a trend toward a more mature state of the cells with upregulated calcium handling proteins and downregulation of calcium channels involved in the generation of pacemaking currents. These results demonstrate the potential of our strategy to manufacture conductive hydrogels in complex geometries for actuating purposes. Conductive biohybrid hydrogels were 3D bioprinted using the FRESH method MWCNTs increased the conductivity and fiber diameter of dECM hydrogels Bioactuating applications were explored on the bioprinted structures Material’s conductivity and external electrical stimulation improved cell contractility
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44
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Bremner S, Goldstein AJ, Higashi T, Sniadecki NJ. Engineered Heart Tissues for Contractile, Structural, and Transcriptional Assessment of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes in a Three-Dimensional, Auxotonic Environment. METHODS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (CLIFTON, N.J.) 2022; 2485:87-97. [PMID: 35618900 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2261-2_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Three-dimensional, human engineered heart tissue promotes maturation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and provides a useful platform for in vitro cardiac development and disease modeling. This protocol describes the generation of fibrin-based engineered heart tissues (EHTs) containing hiPSC-CMs and human stromal cells. The platform makes use of racks of silicone posts that fit a standard 24-well dish. Stromal cells and hiPSC-CMs are cast in a fibrin hydrogel suspended between two silicone posts, forming an engineered tissue that generates synchronous contractions. The platform described herein is amenable to various measures of cardiac function including measurement of contractile force and calcium handling, as well as molecular biology assays and immunostaining.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha Bremner
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Alex J Goldstein
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ty Higashi
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Nathan J Sniadecki
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. .,Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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45
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Bremner SB, Gaffney KS, Sniadecki NJ, Mack DL. A Change of Heart: Human Cardiac Tissue Engineering as a Platform for Drug Development. Curr Cardiol Rep 2022; 24:473-486. [PMID: 35247166 PMCID: PMC8897733 DOI: 10.1007/s11886-022-01668-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Human cardiac tissue engineering holds great promise for early detection of drug-related cardiac toxicity and arrhythmogenicity during drug discovery and development. We describe shortcomings of the current drug development pathway, recent advances in the development of cardiac tissue constructs as drug testing platforms, and the challenges remaining in their widespread adoption. RECENT FINDINGS Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) have been used to develop a variety of constructs including cardiac spheroids, microtissues, strips, rings, and chambers. Several ambitious studies have used these constructs to test a significant number of drugs, and while most have shown proper negative inotropic and arrhythmogenic responses, few have been able to demonstrate positive inotropy, indicative of relative hPSC-CM immaturity. Several engineered human cardiac tissue platforms have demonstrated native cardiac physiology and proper drug responses. Future studies addressing hPSC-CM immaturity and inclusion of patient-specific cell lines will further advance the utility of such models for in vitro drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha B. Bremner
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Karen S. Gaffney
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - Nathan J. Sniadecki
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
| | - David L. Mack
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA USA
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Pisanu A, Reid G, Fusco D, Sileo A, Robles Diaz D, Tarhini H, Putame G, Massai D, Isu G, Marsano A. Bizonal cardiac engineered tissues with differential maturation features in a mid-throughput multimodal bioreactor. iScience 2022; 25:104297. [PMID: 35586070 PMCID: PMC9108516 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Functional three-dimensional (3D) engineered cardiac tissue (ECT) models are essential for effective drug screening and biological studies. Application of physiological cues mimicking those typical of the native myocardium is known to promote the cardiac maturation and functionality in vitro. Commercially available bioreactors can apply one physical force type at a time and often in a restricted loading range. To overcome these limitations, a millimetric-scale microscope-integrated bioreactor was developed to deliver multiple biophysical stimuli to ECTs. In this study, we showed that the single application of auxotonic loading (passive) generated a bizonal ECT with a unique cardiac maturation pattern. Throughout the statically cultured constructs and in the ECT region exposed to high passive loading, cardiomyocytes predominantly displayed a round morphology and poor contractility ability. The ECT region with a low passive mechanical stimulation instead showed both rat- and human-origin cardiac cell maturation and organization, as well as increased ECT functionality. Mid-throughput culture platform to engineer reproducible 3D cardiac in vitro models 3D culture under multiphysical stimuli mimicking the in vivo heart environment Passive loading leads to bizonal constructs with different cardiac maturation stages
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Querceto S, Santoro R, Gowran A, Grandinetti B, Pompilio G, Regnier M, Tesi C, Poggesi C, Ferrantini C, Pioner JM. The harder the climb the better the view: The impact of substrate stiffness on cardiomyocyte fate. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2022; 166:36-49. [PMID: 35139328 PMCID: PMC11270945 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The quest for novel methods to mature human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) for cardiac regeneration, modelling and drug testing has emphasized a need to create microenvironments with physiological features. Many studies have reported on how cardiomyocytes sense substrate stiffness and adapt their morphological and functional properties. However, these observations have raised new biological questions and a shared vision to translate it into a tissue or organ context is still elusive. In this review, we will focus on the relevance of substrates mimicking cardiac extracellular matrix (cECM) rigidity for the understanding of the biomechanical crosstalk between the extracellular and intracellular environment. The ability to opportunely modulate these pathways could be a key to regulate in vitro hiPSC-CM maturation. Therefore, both hiPSC-CM models and substrate stiffness appear as intriguing tools for the investigation of cECM-cell interactions. More understanding of these mechanisms may provide novel insights on how cECM affects cardiac cell function in the context of genetic cardiomyopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Querceto
- Division of Physiology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Rosaria Santoro
- Unità di Biologia Vascolare e Medicina Rigenerativa, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, via Carlo Parea 4, Milan, Italy; Department of Electronics, Information and Biomedical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Aoife Gowran
- Unità di Biologia Vascolare e Medicina Rigenerativa, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, via Carlo Parea 4, Milan, Italy
| | - Bruno Grandinetti
- European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Sesto Fiorentino, FI, Italy
| | - Giulio Pompilio
- Unità di Biologia Vascolare e Medicina Rigenerativa, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, via Carlo Parea 4, Milan, Italy; Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, University of Milan, Italy
| | - Michael Regnier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Chiara Tesi
- Division of Physiology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Corrado Poggesi
- Division of Physiology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Cecilia Ferrantini
- Division of Physiology, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy
| | - Josè Manuel Pioner
- Department of Biology, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Florence, Italy.
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Opportunities and challenges in cardiac tissue engineering from an analysis of two decades of advances. Nat Biomed Eng 2022; 6:327-338. [PMID: 35478227 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-022-00885-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Engineered human cardiac tissues facilitate progress in regenerative medicine, disease modelling and drug development. In this Perspective, we reflect on the most notable advances in cardiac tissue engineering from the past two decades by analysing pivotal studies and critically examining the most consequential developments. This retrospective analysis led us to identify key milestones and to outline a set of opportunities, along with their associated challenges, for the further advancement of engineered human cardiac tissues.
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Rivera-Arbeláez JM, Cofiño-Fabres C, Schwach V, Boonen T, ten Den SA, Vermeul K, van den Berg A, Segerink LI, Ribeiro MC, Passier R. Contractility analysis of human engineered 3D heart tissues by an automatic tracking technique using a standalone application. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266834. [PMID: 35421132 PMCID: PMC9009597 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266834] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of Engineered Heart Tissues (EHT) as in vitro model for disease modeling and drug screening has increased, as they provide important insight into the genetic mechanisms, cardiac toxicity or drug responses. Consequently, this has highlighted the need for a standardized, unbiased, robust and automatic way to analyze hallmark physiological features of EHTs. In this study we described and validated a standalone application to analyze physiological features of EHTs in an automatic, robust, and unbiased way, using low computational time. The standalone application “EHT Analysis” contains two analysis modes (automatic and manual) to analyzes the contractile properties and the contraction kinetics of EHTs from high speed bright field videos. As output data, the graphs of displacement, contraction force and contraction kinetics per file will be generated together with the raw data. Additionally, it also generates a summary file containing all the data from the analyzed files, which facilitates and speeds up the post analysis. From our study we highlight the importance of analyzing the axial stress which is the force per surface area (μN/mm2). This allows to have a readout overtime of tissue compaction, axial stress and leave the option to calculate at the end point of an experiment the physiological cross-section area (PSCA). We demonstrated the utility of this tool by analyzing contractile properties and compaction over time of EHTs made out of a double reporter human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) line (NKX2.5EGFP/+-COUP-TFIImCherry/+) and different ratios of human adult cardiac fibroblasts (HCF). Our standalone application “EHT Analysis” can be applied for different studies where the physiological features of EHTs needs to be analyzed under the effect of a drug compound or in a disease model.
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Affiliation(s)
- José M. Rivera-Arbeláez
- Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
- BIOS Lab-on-a-Chip Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Technical Medical Centre, Max Planck Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Carla Cofiño-Fabres
- Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Verena Schwach
- Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Tom Boonen
- River BioMedics, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Simone A. ten Den
- Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Kim Vermeul
- Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Albert van den Berg
- BIOS Lab-on-a-Chip Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Technical Medical Centre, Max Planck Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Loes I. Segerink
- BIOS Lab-on-a-Chip Group, MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, Technical Medical Centre, Max Planck Center for Complex Fluid Dynamics, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Marcelo C. Ribeiro
- Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
- River BioMedics, Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Robert Passier
- Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands
- Department Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
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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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