1
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liu T, Li X, Wang Y, Zhou M, Liang F. Computational modeling of electromechanical coupling in human cardiomyocyte applied to study hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and its drug response. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE 2023; 231:107372. [PMID: 36736134 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpb.2023.107372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Knowledge of electromechanical coupling in cardiomyocyte and how it is influenced by various pathophysiological factors is fundamental to understanding the pathogenesis of myocardial disease and its response to medication, which is however hard to be thoroughly addressed by clinical/experimental studies due to technical limitations. At this point, computational modeling offers an alternative approach. The main objective of the study was to develop a computational model capable of simulating the process of electromechanical coupling and quantifying the roles of various factors in play in the human left ventricular cardiomyocyte. METHODS A new electrophysiological model was firstly built by combining several existing electrophysiological models and incorporating the mechanism of electrophysiological homeostasis, which was subsequently coupled to models representing the cross-bridge dynamics and active force generation during excitation-contraction coupling and the passive mechanical properties of cardiomyocyte to yield an integrative electromechanical model. Model parameters were calibrated or optimized based on a large amount of experimental data. The resulting model was applied to delineate the characteristics of electromechanical coupling and explore underlying determinant factors in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) cardiomyocyte, as well as quantify their changes in response to different medications. RESULTS Model predictions captured the major electromechanical characteristics of cardiomyocyte under both normal physiological and HCM conditions. In comparison with normal cardiomyocyte, HCM cardiomyocyte suffered from systemic changes in both electrophysiological and mechanical variables. Numerical simulations of drug response revealed that Mavacamten and Metoprolol could both reduce the active contractility and alleviate calcium overload but had marked differential influences on many other electromechanical variables, which theoretically explained why the two drugs have differential therapeutic effects. In addition, our numerical experiments demonstrated the important role of compensatory ion transport in maintaining electrophysiological homeostasis and regulating cytoplasmic volume. CONCLUSIONS A sophisticated computational model has the advantage of providing quantitative and integrative insights for understanding the pathogenesis and drug responses of HCM or other myocardial diseases at the level of cardiomyocyte, and hence may contribute as a useful complement to clinical/experimental studies. The model may also be coupled to tissue- or organ-level models to strengthen the physiological implications of macro-scale numerical simulations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Taiwei Liu
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xuanyu Li
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Mi Zhou
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
| | - Fuyou Liang
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China; State Key Laboratory of Ocean Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; World-Class Research Center "Digital biodesign and personalized healthcare", Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow 19991, Russia.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Jedrzejewska A, Braczko A, Kawecka A, Hellmann M, Siondalski P, Slominska E, Kutryb-Zajac B, Yacoub MH, Smolenski RT. Novel Targets for a Combination of Mechanical Unloading with Pharmacotherapy in Advanced Heart Failure. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:9886. [PMID: 36077285 PMCID: PMC9456495 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
LVAD therapy is an effective rescue in acute and especially chronic cardiac failure. In several scenarios, it provides a platform for regeneration and sustained myocardial recovery. While unloading seems to be a key element, pharmacotherapy may provide powerful tools to enhance effective cardiac regeneration. The synergy between LVAD support and medical agents may ensure satisfying outcomes on cardiomyocyte recovery followed by improved quality and quantity of patient life. This review summarizes the previous and contemporary strategies for combining LVAD with pharmacotherapy and proposes new therapeutic targets. Regulation of metabolic pathways, enhancing mitochondrial biogenesis and function, immunomodulating treatment, and stem-cell therapies represent therapeutic areas that require further experimental and clinical studies on their effectiveness in combination with mechanical unloading.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Agata Jedrzejewska
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1 Street, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Alicja Braczko
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1 Street, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Ada Kawecka
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1 Street, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Marcin Hellmann
- Department of Cardiac Diagnostics, Medical University of Gdansk, Smoluchowskiego 17, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Piotr Siondalski
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 7 Street, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Ewa Slominska
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1 Street, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Barbara Kutryb-Zajac
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1 Street, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Magdi H. Yacoub
- Heart Science Centre, Imperial College of London at Harefield Hospital, Harefield UB9 6JH, UK
| | - Ryszard T. Smolenski
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Gdansk, Debinki 1 Street, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Huang AW, Janssen PML. The Case for, and Challenges of, Human Cardiac Tissue in Advancing Phosphoprotein Research. Front Physiol 2022; 13:853511. [PMID: 35399265 PMCID: PMC8984461 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.853511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke affect over 92 million Americans and account for nearly 1 out of 3 deaths in the US. The use of animal models in cardiovascular research has led to considerable advances in treatment and in our understanding of the pathophysiology of many CVDs. Still, animals may not fully recapitulate human disease states; species differences have long been postulated to be one of the main reasons for a failure of translation between animals and humans in drug discovery and development. Indeed, it has become increasingly clear over the past few decades that to answer certain biomedical questions, like the physiological mechanisms that go awry in many human CVDs, animal tissues may not always be the best option to use. While human cardiac tissue has long been used for laboratory research, published findings often contradict each other, leading to difficulties in interpretation. Current difficulties in utilizing human cardiac tissue include differences in acquisition time, varying tissue procurement protocols, and the struggle to define a human “control” sample. With the tremendous emphasis on translational research that continues to grow, research studies using human tissues are becoming more common. This mini review will discuss advantages, disadvantages, and considerations of using human cardiac tissue in the study of CVDs, paying specific attention to the study of phosphoproteins.
Collapse
|
5
|
Sewanan LR, Park J, Rynkiewicz MJ, Racca AW, Papoutsidakis N, Schwan J, Jacoby DL, Moore JR, Lehman W, Qyang Y, Campbell SG. Loss of crossbridge inhibition drives pathological cardiac hypertrophy in patients harboring the TPM1 E192K mutation. J Gen Physiol 2021; 153:212516. [PMID: 34319370 PMCID: PMC8321830 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2020] [Revised: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an inherited disorder caused primarily by mutations to thick and thinfilament proteins. Although thin filament mutations are less prevalent than their oft-studied thick filament counterparts, they are frequently associated with severe patient phenotypes and can offer important insight into fundamental disease mechanisms. We have performed a detailed study of tropomyosin (TPM1) E192K, a variant of uncertain significance associated with HCM. Molecular dynamics revealed that E192K results in a more flexible TPM1 molecule, which could affect its ability to regulate crossbridges. In vitro motility assays of regulated actin filaments containing TPM1 E192K showed an overall loss of Ca2+ sensitivity. To understand these effects, we used multiscale computational models that suggested a subtle phenotype in which E192K leads to an inability to completely inhibit actin-myosin crossbridge activity at low Ca2+. To assess the physiological impact of the mutation, we generated patient-derived engineered heart tissues expressing E192K. These tissues showed disease features similar to those of the patients, including cellular hypertrophy, hypercontractility, and diastolic dysfunction. We hypothesized that excess residual crossbridge activity could be triggering cellular hypertrophy, even if the overall Ca2+ sensitivity was reduced by E192K. To test this hypothesis, the cardiac myosin-specific inhibitor mavacamten was applied to patient-derived engineered heart tissues for 4 d followed by 24 h of washout. Chronic mavacamten treatment abolished contractile differences between control and TPM1 E192K engineered heart tissues and reversed hypertrophy in cardiomyocytes. These results suggest that the TPM1 E192K mutation triggers cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by permitting excess residual crossbridge activity. These studies also provide direct evidence that myosin inhibition by mavacamten can counteract the hypertrophic effects of mutant tropomyosin.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo R Sewanan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Jinkyu Park
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.,Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Alice W Racca
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA
| | - Nikolaos Papoutsidakis
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Jonas Schwan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Daniel L Jacoby
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| | - Jeffrey R Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Yibing Qyang
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Yale Cardiovascular Research Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.,Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.,Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University, New Haven, CT.,Department of Pathology, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Stuart G Campbell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
| |
Collapse
|