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Du X, Jia H, Chang Y, Zhao Y, Song J. Progress of organoid platform in cardiovascular research. Bioact Mater 2024; 40:88-103. [PMID: 38962658 PMCID: PMC11220467 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2024.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is a significant cause of death in humans. Various models are necessary for the study of cardiovascular diseases, but once cellular and animal models have some defects, such as insufficient fidelity. As a new technology, organoid has certain advantages and has been used in many applications in the study of cardiovascular diseases. This article aims to summarize the application of organoid platforms in cardiovascular diseases, including organoid construction schemes, modeling, and application of cardiovascular organoids. Advances in cardiovascular organoid research have provided many models for different cardiovascular diseases in a variety of areas, including myocardium, blood vessels, and valves. Physiological and pathological models of different diseases, drug research models, and methods for evaluating and promoting the maturation of different kinds of organ tissues are provided for various cardiovascular diseases, including cardiomyopathy, myocardial infarction, and atherosclerosis. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research progress in cardiovascular organ tissues, including construction protocols for cardiovascular organoid tissues and their evaluation system, different types of disease models, and applications of cardiovascular organoid models in various studies. The problems and possible solutions in organoid development are summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xingchao Du
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Preclinical Research and Evaluation for Cardiovascular Implant Materials, Animal Experimental Centre, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, PUMC, 167 Beilishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Hao Jia
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Preclinical Research and Evaluation for Cardiovascular Implant Materials, Animal Experimental Centre, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, PUMC, 167 Beilishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Yuan Chang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Preclinical Research and Evaluation for Cardiovascular Implant Materials, Animal Experimental Centre, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, PUMC, 167 Beilishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Yiqi Zhao
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Preclinical Research and Evaluation for Cardiovascular Implant Materials, Animal Experimental Centre, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, PUMC, 167 Beilishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, China
| | - Jiangping Song
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Preclinical Research and Evaluation for Cardiovascular Implant Materials, Animal Experimental Centre, National Centre for Cardiovascular Disease, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Science, PUMC, 167 Beilishi Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100037, China
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Hwang DG, Kang W, Park SM, Jang J. Biohybrid printing approaches for cardiac pathophysiological studies. Biosens Bioelectron 2024; 260:116420. [PMID: 38805890 DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2024.116420] [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: 02/24/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Bioengineered hearts, which include single cardiomyocytes, engineered heart tissue, and chamber-like models, generate various biosignals, such as contractility, electrophysiological, and volume-pressure dynamic signals. Monitoring changes in these signals is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of disease progression and developing potential treatments. However, current methodologies face challenges in the continuous monitoring of bioengineered hearts over extended periods and typically require sacrificing the sample post-experiment, thereby limiting in-depth analysis. Thus, a biohybrid system consisting of living and nonliving components was developed. This system primarily features heart tissue alongside nonliving elements designed to support or comprehend its functionality. Biohybrid printing technology has simplified the creation of such systems and facilitated the development of various functional biohybrid systems capable of measuring or even regulating multiple functions, such as pacemakers, which demonstrates its versatility and potential applications. The future of biohybrid printing appears promising, with the ongoing exploration of its capabilities and potential directions for advancement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Gyu Hwang
- Center for 3D Organ Printing and Stem Cells, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37563, Republic of Korea
| | - Wonok Kang
- Department of Convergence IT Engineering (POSTECH), Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Min Park
- Department of Convergence IT Engineering (POSTECH), Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea; School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea; Department of Electrical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37673, Republic of Korea; Institute for Convergence Research and Education in Advanced Technology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jinah Jang
- Center for 3D Organ Printing and Stem Cells, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37563, Republic of Korea; Department of Convergence IT Engineering (POSTECH), Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea; School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea; Institute for Convergence Research and Education in Advanced Technology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
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3
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Yang P, Xie F, Zhu L, Selvaraj JN, Zhang D, Cai J. Fabrication of chitin-fibrin hydrogels to construct the 3D artificial extracellular matrix scaffold for vascular regeneration and cardiac tissue engineering. J Biomed Mater Res A 2024. [PMID: 39007419 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37774] [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: 02/20/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
As the cornerstone of tissue engineering and regeneration medicine research, developing a cost-effective and bionic extracellular matrix (ECM) that can precisely modulate cellular behavior and form functional tissue remains challenging. An artificial ECM combining polysaccharides and fibrillar proteins to mimic the structure and composition of natural ECM provides a promising solution for cardiac tissue regeneration. In this study, we developed a bionic hydrogel scaffold by combining a quaternized β-chitin derivative (QC) and fibrin-matrigel (FM) in different ratios to mimic a natural ECM. We evaluated the stiffness of those composite hydrogels with different mixing ratios and their effects on the growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). The optimal hydrogels, QCFM1 hydrogels were further applied to load HUVECs into nude mice for in vivo angiogenesis. Besides, we encapsulated human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) into QCFM hydrogels and employed 3D bioprinting to achieve batch fabrication of human-engineered heart tissue (hEHT). Finally, the myocardial structure and electrophysiological function of hEHT were evaluated by immunofluorescence and optical mapping. Designed artificial ECM has a tunable modulus (220-1380 Pa), which determines the different cellular behavior of HUVECs when encapsulated in these. QCFM1 composite hydrogels with optimal stiffness (800 Pa) and porous architecture were finally identified, which could adapt for in vitro cell spreading and in vivo angiogenesis of HUVECs. Moreover, QCFM1 hydrogels were applied in 3D bioprinting successfully to achieve batch fabrication of both ring-shaped and patch-shaped hEHT. These QCFM1 hydrogels-based hEHTs possess organized sarcomeres and advanced function characteristics comparable to reported hEHTs. The chitin-derived hydrogels are first used for cardiac tissue engineering and achieve the batch fabrication of functionalized artificial myocardium. Specifically, these novel QCFM1 hydrogels provided a reliable and economical choice serving as ideal ECM for application in tissue engineering and regeneration medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengcheng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of High-throughput Drug Screening Technology, School of Life Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Fang Xie
- Hubei Engineering Center of Natural Polymers-based Medical Materials, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lihang Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of High-throughput Drug Screening Technology, School of Life Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jonathan Nimal Selvaraj
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of High-throughput Drug Screening Technology, School of Life Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Donghui Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center of High-throughput Drug Screening Technology, School of Life Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jie Cai
- Hubei Engineering Center of Natural Polymers-based Medical Materials, College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Institute of Hepatobiliary Diseases, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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4
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Groen E, Mummery CL, Yiangou L, Davis RP. Three-dimensional cardiac models: a pre-clinical testing platform. Biochem Soc Trans 2024; 52:1045-1059. [PMID: 38778769 DOI: 10.1042/bst20230444] [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: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Major advancements in human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) technology over recent years have yielded valuable tools for cardiovascular research. Multi-cell type 3-dimensional (3D) cardiac models in particular, are providing complementary approaches to animal studies that are better representatives than simple 2-dimensional (2D) cultures of differentiated hPSCs. These human 3D cardiac models can be broadly divided into two categories; namely those generated through aggregating pre-differentiated cells and those that form self-organizing structures during their in vitro differentiation from hPSCs. These models can either replicate aspects of cardiac development or enable the examination of interactions among constituent cell types, with some of these models showing increased maturity compared with 2D systems. Both groups have already emerged as physiologically relevant pre-clinical platforms for studying heart disease mechanisms, exhibiting key functional attributes of the human heart. In this review, we describe the different cardiac organoid models derived from hPSCs, their generation methods, applications in cardiovascular disease research and use in drug screening. We also address their current limitations and challenges as pre-clinical testing platforms and propose potential improvements to enhance their efficacy in cardiac drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline Groen
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Christine L Mummery
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), Leiden University Medical Center, 2300RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Loukia Yiangou
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Richard P Davis
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine (reNEW), Leiden University Medical Center, 2300RC Leiden, The Netherlands
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5
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Lock RI, Graney PL, Tavakol DN, Nash TR, Kim Y, Sanchez E, Morsink M, Ning D, Chen C, Fleischer S, Baldassarri I, Vunjak-Novakovic G. Macrophages enhance contractile force in iPSC-derived human engineered cardiac tissue. Cell Rep 2024; 43:114302. [PMID: 38824644 PMCID: PMC11254687 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114302] [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: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Resident cardiac macrophages are critical mediators of cardiac function. Despite their known importance to cardiac electrophysiology and tissue maintenance, there are currently no stem-cell-derived models of human engineered cardiac tissues (hECTs) that include resident macrophages. In this study, we made an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived hECT model with a resident population of macrophages (iM0) to better recapitulate the native myocardium and characterized their impact on tissue function. Macrophage retention within the hECTs was confirmed via immunofluorescence after 28 days of cultivation. The inclusion of iM0s significantly impacted hECT function, increasing contractile force production. A potential mechanism underlying these changes was revealed by the interrogation of calcium signaling, which demonstrated the modulation of β-adrenergic signaling in +iM0 hECTs. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that macrophages significantly enhance cardiac function in iPSC-derived hECT models, emphasizing the need to further explore their contributions not only in healthy hECT models but also in the contexts of disease and injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta I Lock
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Pamela L Graney
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | | | - Trevor R Nash
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Youngbin Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Eloy Sanchez
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Margaretha Morsink
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Derek Ning
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Connie Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Sharon Fleischer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Ilaria Baldassarri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA; Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA; College of Dental Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
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6
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Lickiss B, Hunker J, Bhagwan J, Linder P, Thomas U, Lotay H, Broadbent S, Dragicevic E, Stoelzle-Feix S, Turner J, Gossmann M. Chamber-specific contractile responses of atrial and ventricular hiPSC-cardiomyocytes to GPCR and ion channel targeting compounds: A microphysiological system for cardiac drug development. J Pharmacol Toxicol Methods 2024; 128:107529. [PMID: 38857637 DOI: 10.1016/j.vascn.2024.107529] [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: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024]
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) have found utility for conducting in vitro drug screening and disease modelling to gain crucial insights into pharmacology or disease phenotype. However, diseases such as atrial fibrillation, affecting >33 M people worldwide, demonstrate the need for cardiac subtype-specific cells. Here, we sought to investigate the base characteristics and pharmacological differences between commercially available chamber-specific atrial or ventricular hiPSC-CMs seeded onto ultra-thin, flexible PDMS membranes to simultaneously measure contractility in a 96 multi-well format. We investigated the effects of GPCR agonists (acetylcholine and carbachol), a Ca2+ channel agonist (S-Bay K8644), an HCN channel antagonist (ivabradine) and K+ channel antagonists (4-AP and vernakalant). We observed differential effects between atrial and ventricular hiPSC-CMs on contractile properties including beat rate, beat duration, contractile force and evidence of arrhythmias at a range of concentrations. As an excerpt of the compound analysis, S-Bay K8644 treatment showed an induced concentration-dependent transient increase in beat duration of atrial hiPSC-CMs, whereas ventricular cells showed a physiological increase in beat rate over time. Carbachol treatment produced marked effects on atrial cells, such as increased beat duration alongside a decrease in beat rate over time, but only minimal effects on ventricular cardiomyocytes. In the context of this chamber-specific pharmacology, we not only add to contractile characterization of hiPSC-CMs but propose a multi-well platform for medium-throughput early compound screening. Overall, these insights illustrate the key pharmacological differences between chamber-specific cardiomyocytes and their application on a multi-well contractility platform to gain insights for in vitro cardiac liability studies and disease modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jan Hunker
- innoVitro GmbH, Artilleriestr 2, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Jamie Bhagwan
- Axol Bioscience Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Peter Linder
- innoVitro GmbH, Artilleriestr 2, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Ulrich Thomas
- Nanion Technologies GmbH, Ganghoferstr 70A, 80339 Munich, Germany
| | - Hardeep Lotay
- Axol Bioscience Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Steven Broadbent
- Axol Bioscience Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Elena Dragicevic
- Nanion Technologies GmbH, Ganghoferstr 70A, 80339 Munich, Germany
| | | | - Jan Turner
- Axol Bioscience Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
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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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Hwang DG, Choi H, Yong U, Kim D, Kang W, Park SM, Jang J. Bioprinting-Assisted Tissue Assembly for Structural and Functional Modulation of Engineered Heart Tissue Mimicking Left Ventricular Myocardial Fiber Orientation. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2400364. [PMID: 38717016 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202400364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
Left ventricular twist is influenced by the unique oriented structure of myocardial fibers. Replicating this intricate structural-functional relationship in an in vitro heart model remains challenging, mainly due to the difficulties in achieving a complex structure with synchrony between layers. This study introduces a novel approach through the utilization of bioprinting-assisted tissue assembly (BATA)-a synergistic integration of bioprinting and tissue assembly strategies. By flexibly manufacturing tissue modules and assembly platforms, BATA can create structures that traditional methods find difficult to achieve. This approach integrates engineered heart tissue (EHT) modules, each with intrinsic functional and structural characteristics, into a layered, multi-oriented tissue in a controlled manner. EHTs assembled in different orientations exhibit various contractile forces and electrical signal patterns. The BATA is capable of constructing complex myocardial fiber orientations within a chamber-like structure (MoCha). MoCha replicates the native cardiac architecture by exhibiting three layers and three alignment directions, and it reproduces the left ventricular twist by exhibiting synchronized contraction between layers and mimicking the native cardiac architecture. The potential of BATA extends to engineering tissues capable of constructing and functioning as complete organs on a large scale. This advancement holds the promise of realizing future organ-on-demand technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Gyu Hwang
- Center for 3D Organ Printing and Stem Cells, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37563, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwanyong Choi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
| | - Uijung Yong
- Future IT Innovation Laboratory, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
| | - Donghwan Kim
- School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
| | - Wonok Kang
- Department of Convergence IT engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Min Park
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
- School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
- Department of Convergence IT engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
- Department of Electrical Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
| | - Jinah Jang
- Center for 3D Organ Printing and Stem Cells, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, 37563, Republic of Korea
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
- Future IT Innovation Laboratory, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
- School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
- Department of Convergence IT engineering, POSTECH, Pohang, 37666, Republic of Korea
- Institute for Convergence Research and Education in Advanced Technology, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
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9
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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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10
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Gil-Cabrerizo P, Simon-Yarza T, Garbayo E, Blanco-Prieto MJ. Navigating the landscape of RNA delivery systems in cardiovascular disease therapeutics. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2024; 208:115302. [PMID: 38574952 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2024.115302] [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: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) stand as the leading cause of death worldwide, posing a significant global health challenge. Consequently, the development of innovative therapeutic strategies to enhance CVDs treatment is imperative. RNA-based therapies, encompassing non-coding RNAs, mRNA, aptamers, and CRISPR/Cas9 technology, have emerged as promising tools for addressing CVDs. However, inherent challenges associated with RNA, such as poor cellular uptake, susceptibility to RNase degradation, and capture by the reticuloendothelial system, underscore the necessity of combining these therapies with effective drug delivery systems. Various non-viral delivery systems, including extracellular vesicles, lipid-based carriers, polymeric and inorganic nanoparticles, as well as hydrogels, have shown promise in enhancing the efficacy of RNA therapeutics. In this review, we offer an overview of the most relevant RNA-based therapeutic strategies explored for addressing CVDs and emphasize the pivotal role of delivery systems in augmenting their effectiveness. Additionally, we discuss the current status of these therapies and the challenges that hinder their clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Gil-Cabrerizo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, C/Irunlarrea 1, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research, IdiSNA, C/Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Teresa Simon-Yarza
- Université Paris Cité, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Laboratory for Vascular Translational Science, INSERM U1148, X. Bichat Hospital, Paris 75018, France
| | - Elisa Garbayo
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, C/Irunlarrea 1, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research, IdiSNA, C/Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
| | - María J Blanco-Prieto
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Navarra, C/Irunlarrea 1, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; Navarra Institute for Health Research, IdiSNA, C/Irunlarrea 3, 31008 Pamplona, Spain.
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11
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Lee SW, Song M, Woo DH, Jeong GS. Proposal for considerations during human iPSC-derived cardiac organoid generation for cardiotoxicity drug testing. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 174:116511. [PMID: 38574616 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116511] [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: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 03/14/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Human iPSC-derived cardiac organoids (hiPSC-COs) for cardiotoxicity drug testing via the variety of cell lines and unestablished protocols may lead to differences in response results due to a lack of criteria for generation period and size. To ensure reliable drug testing, it is important for researchers to set optimal generation period and size of COs according to the cell line and protocol applied in their studies. Hence, we sought to propose a process to establish minimum criteria for the generation duration and size of hiPSC-COs for cardiotoxic drug testing. We generated hiPSC-COs of different sizes based on our protocol and continuously monitored organoids until they indicated a minimal beating rate change as a control that could lead to more accurate beating rate changes on drug testing. Calcium transients and physiological tests to assess the functionality of hiPSC-COs on selected generation period, which showed regular cardiac beating, and immunostaining assays to compare characteristics were performed. We explained the generation period and size that exhibited and maintained regular beating rate changes on hiPSC-COs, and lead to reliable response results to cardiotoxicity drugs. We anticipate that this study will offer valuable insights into considering the appropriate generation period and size of hiPSC-COs ensuring reliable outcomes in cardiotoxicity drug testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang Woo Lee
- Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea; Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea
| | - MyeongJin Song
- Department of Commercializing iPSC Technology, NEXEL Co., Ltd., Seoul 07802, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Hun Woo
- Department of Commercializing iPSC Technology, NEXEL Co., Ltd., Seoul 07802, Republic of Korea
| | - Gi Seok Jeong
- Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea; Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 05505, Republic of Korea.
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12
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Greenberg L, Tom Stump W, Lin Z, Bredemeyer AL, Blackwell T, Han X, Greenberg AE, Garcia BA, Lavine KJ, Greenberg MJ. Harnessing molecular mechanism for precision medicine in dilated cardiomyopathy caused by a mutation in troponin T. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.05.588306. [PMID: 38645235 PMCID: PMC11030379 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.05.588306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is frequently caused by autosomal dominant point mutations in genes involved in diverse cellular processes, including sarcomeric contraction. While patient studies have defined the genetic landscape of DCM, genetics are not currently used in patient care, and patients receive similar treatments regardless of the underlying mutation. It has been suggested that a precision medicine approach based on the molecular mechanism of the underlying mutation could improve outcomes; however, realizing this approach has been challenging due to difficulties linking genotype and phenotype and then leveraging this information to identify therapeutic approaches. Here, we used multiscale experimental and computational approaches to test whether knowledge of molecular mechanism could be harnessed to connect genotype, phenotype, and drug response for a DCM mutation in troponin T, deletion of K210. Previously, we showed that at the molecular scale, the mutation reduces thin filament activation. Here, we used computational modeling of this molecular defect to predict that the mutant will reduce cellular and tissue contractility, and we validated this prediction in human cardiomyocytes and engineered heart tissues. We then used our knowledge of molecular mechanism to computationally model the effects of a small molecule that can activate the thin filament. We demonstrate experimentally that the modeling correctly predicts that the small molecule can partially rescue systolic dysfunction at the expense of diastolic function. Taken together, our results demonstrate how molecular mechanism can be harnessed to connect genotype and phenotype and inspire strategies to optimize mechanism-based therapeutics for DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lina Greenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - W. Tom Stump
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Zongtao Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Andrea L. Bredemeyer
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Thomas Blackwell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Xian Han
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Akiva E. Greenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Benjamin A. Garcia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Kory J. Lavine
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Michael J. Greenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
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13
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Seguret M, Davidson P, Robben S, Jouve C, Pereira C, Lelong Q, Deshayes L, Cerveau C, Le Berre M, Rodrigues Ribeiro RS, Hulot JS. A versatile high-throughput assay based on 3D ring-shaped cardiac tissues generated from human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. eLife 2024; 12:RP87739. [PMID: 38578976 PMCID: PMC11001295 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
We developed a 96-well plate assay which allows fast, reproducible, and high-throughput generation of 3D cardiac rings around a deformable optically transparent hydrogel (polyethylene glycol [PEG]) pillar of known stiffness. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, mixed with normal human adult dermal fibroblasts in an optimized 3:1 ratio, self-organized to form ring-shaped cardiac constructs. Immunostaining showed that the fibroblasts form a basal layer in contact with the glass, stabilizing the muscular fiber above. Tissues started contracting around the pillar at D1 and their fractional shortening increased until D7, reaching a plateau at 25±1%, that was maintained up to 14 days. The average stress, calculated from the compaction of the central pillar during contractions, was 1.4±0.4 mN/mm2. The cardiac constructs recapitulated expected inotropic responses to calcium and various drugs (isoproterenol, verapamil) as well as the arrhythmogenic effects of dofetilide. This versatile high-throughput assay allows multiple in situ mechanical and structural readouts.
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14
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Chen B, Du C, Wang M, Guo J, Liu X. Organoids as preclinical models of human disease: progress and applications. MEDICAL REVIEW (2021) 2024; 4:129-153. [PMID: 38680680 PMCID: PMC11046574 DOI: 10.1515/mr-2023-0047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
In the field of biomedical research, organoids represent a remarkable advancement that has the potential to revolutionize our approach to studying human diseases even before clinical trials. Organoids are essentially miniature 3D models of specific organs or tissues, enabling scientists to investigate the causes of diseases, test new drugs, and explore personalized medicine within a controlled laboratory setting. Over the past decade, organoid technology has made substantial progress, allowing researchers to create highly detailed environments that closely mimic the human body. These organoids can be generated from various sources, including pluripotent stem cells, specialized tissue cells, and tumor tissue cells. This versatility enables scientists to replicate a wide range of diseases affecting different organ systems, effectively creating disease replicas in a laboratory dish. This exciting capability has provided us with unprecedented insights into the progression of diseases and how we can develop improved treatments. In this paper, we will provide an overview of the progress made in utilizing organoids as preclinical models, aiding our understanding and providing a more effective approach to addressing various human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baodan Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory on Biomedicine and Health, CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cijie Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory on Biomedicine and Health, CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Mengfei Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory on Biomedicine and Health, CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jingyi Guo
- Innovation Centre for Advanced Interdisciplinary Medicine, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xingguo Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, China-New Zealand Joint Laboratory on Biomedicine and Health, CUHK-GIBH Joint Research Laboratory on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, GIBH-HKU Guangdong-Hong Kong Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre, Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China
- Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Health, Hong Kong Institute of Science & Innovation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hong Kong SAR, China
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15
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Raniga K, Nasir A, Vo NTN, Vaidyanathan R, Dickerson S, Hilcove S, Mosqueira D, Mirams GR, Clements P, Hicks R, Pointon A, Stebbeds W, Francis J, Denning C. Strengthening cardiac therapy pipelines using human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Cell Stem Cell 2024; 31:292-311. [PMID: 38366587 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2024.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
Advances in hiPSC isolation and reprogramming and hPSC-CM differentiation have prompted their therapeutic application and utilization for evaluating potential cardiovascular safety liabilities. In this perspective, we showcase key efforts toward the large-scale production of hiPSC-CMs, implementation of hiPSC-CMs in industry settings, and recent clinical applications of this technology. The key observations are a need for traceable gender and ethnically diverse hiPSC lines, approaches to reduce cost of scale-up, accessible clinical trial datasets, and transparent guidelines surrounding the safety and efficacy of hiPSC-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kavita Raniga
- The Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK; Pathology, Non-Clinical Safety, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK.
| | - Aishah Nasir
- The Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Nguyen T N Vo
- The Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | | | | | | | - Diogo Mosqueira
- The Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Gary R Mirams
- Centre for Mathematical Medicine & Biology, School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
| | - Peter Clements
- Pathology, Non-Clinical Safety, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, Stevenage SG1 2NY, UK
| | - Ryan Hicks
- BioPharmaceuticals R&D Cell Therapy Department, Research and Early Development, Cardiovascular, Renal, and Metabolism (CVRM), BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden; School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
| | - Amy Pointon
- Safety Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB2 0AA, UK
| | | | - Jo Francis
- Mechanstic Biology and Profiling, Discovery Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge CB2 0AA, UK
| | - Chris Denning
- The Biodiscovery Institute, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
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16
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Simmons DW, Malayath G, Schuftan DR, Guo J, Oguntuyo K, Ramahdita G, Sun Y, Jordan SD, Munsell MK, Kandalaft B, Pear M, Rentschler SL, Huebsch N. Engineered tissue geometry and Plakophilin-2 regulate electrophysiology of human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. APL Bioeng 2024; 8:016118. [PMID: 38476404 PMCID: PMC10932571 DOI: 10.1063/5.0160677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Engineered heart tissues have been created to study cardiac biology and disease in a setting that more closely mimics in vivo heart muscle than 2D monolayer culture. Previously published studies suggest that geometrically anisotropic micro-environments are crucial for inducing "in vivo like" physiology from immature cardiomyocytes. We hypothesized that the degree of cardiomyocyte alignment and prestress within engineered tissues is regulated by tissue geometry and, subsequently, drives electrophysiological development. Thus, we studied the effects of tissue geometry on electrophysiology of micro-heart muscle arrays (μHM) engineered from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Elongated tissue geometries elicited cardiomyocyte shape and electrophysiology changes led to adaptations that yielded increased calcium intake during each contraction cycle. Strikingly, pharmacologic studies revealed that a threshold of prestress and/or cellular alignment is required for sodium channel function, whereas L-type calcium and rapidly rectifying potassium channels were largely insensitive to these changes. Concurrently, tissue elongation upregulated sodium channel (NaV1.5) and gap junction (Connexin 43, Cx43) protein expression. Based on these observations, we leveraged elongated μHM to study the impact of loss-of-function mutation in Plakophilin 2 (PKP2), a desmosome protein implicated in arrhythmogenic disease. Within μHM, PKP2 knockout cardiomyocytes had cellular morphology similar to what was observed in isogenic controls. However, PKP2-/- tissues exhibited lower conduction velocity and no functional sodium current. PKP2 knockout μHM exhibited geometrically linked upregulation of sodium channel but not Cx43, suggesting that post-translational mechanisms, including a lack of ion channel-gap junction communication, may underlie the lower conduction velocity observed in tissues harboring this genetic defect. Altogether, these observations demonstrate that simple, scalable micro-tissue systems can provide the physiologic stresses necessary to induce electrical remodeling of iPS-CM to enable studies on the electrophysiologic consequences of disease-associated genomic variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel W. Simmons
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Ganesh Malayath
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - David R. Schuftan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Jingxuan Guo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Kasoorelope Oguntuyo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Ghiska Ramahdita
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Yuwen Sun
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Samuel D. Jordan
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Mary K. Munsell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Brennan Kandalaft
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Missy Pear
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
| | - Stacey L. Rentschler
- Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA
| | - Nathaniel Huebsch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA
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17
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Garg A, Lavine KJ, Greenberg MJ. Assessing Cardiac Contractility From Single Molecules to Whole Hearts. JACC Basic Transl Sci 2024; 9:414-439. [PMID: 38559627 PMCID: PMC10978360 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacbts.2023.07.013] [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] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Fundamentally, the heart needs to generate sufficient force and power output to dynamically meet the needs of the body. Cardiomyocytes contain specialized structures referred to as sarcomeres that power and regulate contraction. Disruption of sarcomeric function or regulation impairs contractility and leads to cardiomyopathies and heart failure. Basic, translational, and clinical studies have adapted numerous methods to assess cardiac contraction in a variety of pathophysiological contexts. These tools measure aspects of cardiac contraction at different scales ranging from single molecules to whole organisms. Moreover, these studies have revealed new pathogenic mechanisms of heart disease leading to the development of novel therapies targeting contractility. In this review, the authors explore the breadth of tools available for studying cardiac contractile function across scales, discuss their strengths and limitations, highlight new insights into cardiac physiology and pathophysiology, and describe how these insights can be harnessed for therapeutic candidate development and translational.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ankit Garg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Kory J. Lavine
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael J. Greenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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18
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Yao Y, Gupta D, Yelon D. The MEK-ERK signaling pathway promotes maintenance of cardiac chamber identity. Development 2024; 151:dev202183. [PMID: 38293792 PMCID: PMC10911121 DOI: 10.1242/dev.202183] [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: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
Abstract
Ventricular and atrial cardiac chambers have unique structural and contractile characteristics that underlie their distinct functions. The maintenance of chamber-specific features requires active reinforcement, even in differentiated cardiomyocytes. Previous studies in zebrafish have shown that sustained FGF signaling acts upstream of Nkx factors to maintain ventricular identity, but the rest of this maintenance pathway remains unclear. Here, we show that MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signaling acts downstream of FGF and upstream of Nkx factors to promote ventricular maintenance. Inhibition of MEK signaling, like inhibition of FGF signaling, results in ectopic atrial gene expression and reduced ventricular gene expression in ventricular cardiomyocytes. FGF and MEK signaling both influence ventricular maintenance over a similar timeframe, when phosphorylated ERK (pERK) is present in the myocardium. However, the role of FGF-MEK activity appears to be context-dependent: some ventricular regions are more sensitive than others to inhibition of FGF-MEK signaling. Additionally, in the atrium, although endogenous pERK does not induce ventricular traits, heightened MEK signaling can provoke ectopic ventricular gene expression. Together, our data reveal chamber-specific roles of MEK-ERK signaling in the maintenance of ventricular and atrial identities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Yao
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Deepam Gupta
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Deborah Yelon
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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19
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Guo H, Hang C, Lin B, Lin Z, Xiong H, Zhang M, Lu R, Liu J, Shi D, Xie D, Liu Y, Liang D, Yang J, Chen YH. HAND factors regulate cardiac lineage commitment and differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Res Ther 2024; 15:31. [PMID: 38317221 PMCID: PMC10845658 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-024-03649-9] [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: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Transcription factors HAND1 and HAND2 (HAND1/2) play significant roles in cardiac organogenesis. Abnormal expression and deficiency of HAND1/2 result in severe cardiac defects. However, the function and mechanism of HAND1/2 in regulating human early cardiac lineage commitment and differentiation are still unclear. METHODS With NKX2.5eGFP H9 human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), we established single and double knockout cell lines for HAND1 and HAND2, respectively, whose cardiomyocyte differentiation efficiency could be monitored by assessing NKX2.5-eGFP+ cells with flow cytometry. The expression of specific markers for heart fields and cardiomyocyte subtypes was examined by quantitative PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Microelectrode array and whole-cell patch clamp were performed to determine the electrophysiological characteristics of differentiated cardiomyocytes. The transcriptomic changes of HAND knockout cells were revealed by RNA sequencing. The HAND1/2 target genes were identified and validated experimentally by integrating with HAND1/2 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data. RESULTS Either HAND1 or HAND2 knockout did not affect the cardiomyocyte differentiation kinetics, whereas depletion of HAND1/2 resulted in delayed differentiation onset. HAND1 knockout biased cardiac mesoderm toward second heart field progenitors at the expense of first heart field progenitors, leading to increased expression of atrial and outflow tract cardiomyocyte markers, which was further confirmed by the appearance of atrial-like action potentials. By contrast, HAND2 knockout cardiomyocytes had reduced expression of atrial cardiomyocyte markers and displayed ventricular-like action potentials. HAND1/2-deficient hESCs were more inclined to second heart field lineage and its derived cardiomyocytes with atrial-like action potentials than HAND1 single knockout during differentiation. Further mechanistic investigations suggested TBX5 as one of the downstream targets of HAND1/2, whose overexpression partially restored the abnormal cardiomyocyte differentiation in HAND1/2-deficient hESCs. CONCLUSIONS HAND1/2 have specific and redundant roles in cardiac lineage commitment and differentiation. These findings not only reveal the essential function of HAND1/2 in cardiac organogenesis, but also provide important information on the pathogenesis of HAND1/2 deficiency-related congenital heart diseases, which could potentially lead to new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huixin Guo
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China
| | - Chengwen Hang
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Bowen Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Zheyi Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Hui Xiong
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Department of Cell Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Mingshuai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Department of Cell Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Renhong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Junyang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Department of Cell Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Dan Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Duanyang Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yi Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Dandan Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
- Research Units of Origin and Regulation of Heart Rhythm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jian Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Department of Cell Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Research Units of Origin and Regulation of Heart Rhythm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, 200092, China.
| | - Yi-Han Chen
- Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
- Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
- Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
- Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
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20
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Nappi F. In-Depth Genomic Analysis: The New Challenge in Congenital Heart Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1734. [PMID: 38339013 PMCID: PMC10855915 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031734] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The use of next-generation sequencing has provided new insights into the causes and mechanisms of congenital heart disease (CHD). Examinations of the whole exome sequence have detected detrimental gene variations modifying single or contiguous nucleotides, which are characterised as pathogenic based on statistical assessments of families and correlations with congenital heart disease, elevated expression during heart development, and reductions in harmful protein-coding mutations in the general population. Patients with CHD and extracardiac abnormalities are enriched for gene classes meeting these criteria, supporting a common set of pathways in the organogenesis of CHDs. Single-cell transcriptomics data have revealed the expression of genes associated with CHD in specific cell types, and emerging evidence suggests that genetic mutations disrupt multicellular genes essential for cardiogenesis. Metrics and units are being tracked in whole-genome sequencing studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Nappi
- Department of Cardiac Surgery, Centre Cardiologique du Nord, 93200 Saint-Denis, France
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21
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Yang Y, Yang H, Kiskin FN, Zhang JZ. The new era of cardiovascular research: revolutionizing cardiovascular research with 3D models in a dish. MEDICAL REVIEW (2021) 2024; 4:68-85. [PMID: 38515776 PMCID: PMC10954298 DOI: 10.1515/mr-2023-0059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Cardiovascular research has heavily relied on studies using patient samples and animal models. However, patient studies often miss the data from the crucial early stage of cardiovascular diseases, as obtaining primary tissues at this stage is impracticable. Transgenic animal models can offer some insights into disease mechanisms, although they usually do not fully recapitulate the phenotype of cardiovascular diseases and their progression. In recent years, a promising breakthrough has emerged in the form of in vitro three-dimensional (3D) cardiovascular models utilizing human pluripotent stem cells. These innovative models recreate the intricate 3D structure of the human heart and vessels within a controlled environment. This advancement is pivotal as it addresses the existing gaps in cardiovascular research, allowing scientists to study different stages of cardiovascular diseases and specific drug responses using human-origin models. In this review, we first outline various approaches employed to generate these models. We then comprehensively discuss their applications in studying cardiovascular diseases by providing insights into molecular and cellular changes associated with cardiovascular conditions. Moreover, we highlight the potential of these 3D models serving as a platform for drug testing to assess drug efficacy and safety. Despite their immense potential, challenges persist, particularly in maintaining the complex structure of 3D heart and vessel models and ensuring their function is comparable to real organs. However, overcoming these challenges could revolutionize cardiovascular research. It has the potential to offer comprehensive mechanistic insights into human-specific disease processes, ultimately expediting the development of personalized therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Yang
- Institute of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Hao Yang
- Institute of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Fedir N. Kiskin
- Institute of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Joe Z. Zhang
- Institute of Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
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22
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Sansonetti M, Al Soodi B, Thum T, Jung M. Macrophage-based therapeutic approaches for cardiovascular diseases. Basic Res Cardiol 2024; 119:1-33. [PMID: 38170281 PMCID: PMC10837257 DOI: 10.1007/s00395-023-01027-9] [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: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Despite the advances in treatment options, cardiovascular disease (CVDs) remains the leading cause of death over the world. Chronic inflammatory response and irreversible fibrosis are the main underlying pathophysiological causes of progression of CVDs. In recent decades, cardiac macrophages have been recognized as main regulatory players in the development of these complex pathophysiological conditions. Numerous approaches aimed at macrophages have been devised, leading to novel prospects for therapeutic interventions. Our review covers the advancements in macrophage-centric treatment plans for various pathologic conditions and examines the potential consequences and obstacles of employing macrophage-targeted techniques in cardiac diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marida Sansonetti
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Bashar Al Soodi
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Thomas Thum
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
- REBIRTH-Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
- Fraunhofer Institute for Toxicology and Experimental Medicine (ITEM), 30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Mira Jung
- Institute of Molecular and Translational Therapeutic Strategies (IMTTS), Hannover Medical School, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
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23
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Seibertz F, Rubio T, Springer R, Popp F, Ritter M, Liutkute A, Bartelt L, Stelzer L, Haghighi F, Pietras J, Windel H, Pedrosa NDI, Rapedius M, Doering Y, Solano R, Hindmarsh R, Shi R, Tiburcy M, Bruegmann T, Kutschka I, Streckfuss-Bömeke K, Kensah G, Cyganek L, Zimmermann WH, Voigt N. Atrial fibrillation-associated electrical remodelling in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial cardiomyocytes: a novel pathway for antiarrhythmic therapy development. Cardiovasc Res 2023; 119:2623-2637. [PMID: 37677054 PMCID: PMC10730244 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvad143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with tachycardia-induced cellular electrophysiology alterations which promote AF chronification and treatment resistance. Development of novel antiarrhythmic therapies is hampered by the absence of scalable experimental human models that reflect AF-associated electrical remodelling. Therefore, we aimed to assess if AF-associated remodelling of cellular electrophysiology can be simulated in human atrial-like cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells in the presence of retinoic acid (iPSC-aCM), and atrial-engineered human myocardium (aEHM) under short term (24 h) and chronic (7 days) tachypacing (TP). METHODS AND RESULTS First, 24-h electrical pacing at 3 Hz was used to investigate whether AF-associated remodelling in iPSC-aCM and aEHM would ensue. Compared to controls (24 h, 1 Hz pacing) TP-stimulated iPSC-aCM presented classical hallmarks of AF-associated remodelling: (i) decreased L-type Ca2+ current (ICa,L) and (ii) impaired activation of acetylcholine-activated inward-rectifier K+ current (IK,ACh). This resulted in action potential shortening and an absent response to the M-receptor agonist carbachol in both iPSC-aCM and aEHM subjected to TP. Accordingly, mRNA expression of the channel-subunit Kir3.4 was reduced. Selective IK,ACh blockade with tertiapin reduced basal inward-rectifier K+ current only in iPSC-aCM subjected to TP, thereby unmasking an agonist-independent constitutively active IK,ACh. To allow for long-term TP, we developed iPSC-aCM and aEHM expressing the light-gated ion-channel f-Chrimson. The same hallmarks of AF-associated remodelling were observed after optical-TP. In addition, continuous TP (7 days) led to (i) increased amplitude of inward-rectifier K+ current (IK1), (ii) hyperpolarization of the resting membrane potential, (iii) increased action potential-amplitude and upstroke velocity as well as (iv) reversibly impaired contractile function in aEHM. CONCLUSIONS Classical hallmarks of AF-associated remodelling were mimicked through TP of iPSC-aCM and aEHM. The use of the ultrafast f-Chrimson depolarizing ion channel allowed us to model the time-dependence of AF-associated remodelling in vitro for the first time. The observation of electrical remodelling with associated reversible contractile dysfunction offers a novel platform for human-centric discovery of antiarrhythmic therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fitzwilliam Seibertz
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells’ (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tony Rubio
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robin Springer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fiona Popp
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Melanie Ritter
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Aiste Liutkute
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lena Bartelt
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lea Stelzer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Fereshteh Haghighi
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Jan Pietras
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hendrik Windel
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Núria Díaz i Pedrosa
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Yannic Doering
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Richard Solano
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Robin Hindmarsh
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Clinic for Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Runzhu Shi
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Cardiovascular Physiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Malte Tiburcy
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tobias Bruegmann
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells’ (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Institute for Cardiovascular Physiology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Ingo Kutschka
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Katrin Streckfuss-Bömeke
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Clinic for Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - George Kensah
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Lukas Cyganek
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells’ (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Clinic for Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wolfram H Zimmermann
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells’ (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Göttingen, Germany
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology (ITMP), Göttingen, Germany
- Campus-Institute Data Science (CIDAS), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Niels Voigt
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Georg-August University Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Straße 40, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Göttingen, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence ‘Multiscale Bioimaging: from Molecular Machines to Networks of Excitable Cells’ (MBExC), University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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24
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Liew LC, Poh BM, An O, Ho BX, Lim CYY, Pang JKS, Beh LY, Yang HH, Soh BS. JAK2 as a surface marker for enrichment of human pluripotent stem cells-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes. Stem Cell Res Ther 2023; 14:367. [PMID: 38093391 PMCID: PMC10720068 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-023-03610-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) hold great promise for cardiac disease modelling, drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Despite the advancement in various differentiation protocols, the heterogeneity of the generated population composed of diverse cardiac subtypes poses a significant challenge to their practical applications. Mixed populations of cardiac subtypes can compromise disease modelling and drug discovery, while transplanting them may lead to undesired arrhythmias as they may not integrate and synchronize with the host tissue's contractility. It is therefore crucial to identify cell surface markers that could enable high purity of ventricular CMs for subsequent applications. METHODS By exploiting the fact that immature CMs expressing myosin light chain 2A (MLC2A) will gradually express myosin light chain 2 V (MLC2V) protein as they mature towards ventricular fate, we isolated signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPA)-positive CMs expressing intracellular MLC2A or MLC2V using MARIS (method for analysing RNA following intracellular sorting). Subsequently, RNA sequencing analysis was performed to examine the gene expression profile of MLC2A + and MLC2V + sorted CMs. We identified genes that were significantly up-regulated in MLC2V + samples to be potential surface marker candidates for ventricular specification. To validate these surface markers, we performed immunostaining and western blot analysis to measure MLC2A and MLC2V protein expressions in SIRPA + CMs that were either positive or negative for the putative surface markers, JAK2 (Janus kinase 2) or CD200. We then characterized the electrophysiological properties of surface marker-sorted CMs, using fluo-4 AM, a green-fluorescent calcium indicator, to measure the cellular calcium transient at the single cell level. For functional validation, we investigated the response of the surface marker-sorted CMs to vernakalant, an atrial-selective anti-arrhythmic agent. RESULTS In this study, while JAK2 and CD200 were identified as potential surface markers for the purification of ventricular-like CMs, the SIRPA+/JAK2+ population showed a higher percentage of MLC2V-expressing cells (~ 90%) compared to SIRPA+/CD200+ population (~ 75%). SIRPA+/JAK2+ sorted CMs exhibited ventricular-like electrophysiological properties, including slower beating rate, slower calcium depolarization and longer calcium repolarization duration. Importantly, vernakalant had limited to no significant effect on the calcium repolarization duration of SIRPA+/JAK2+ population, indicating their enrichment for ventricular-like CMs. CONCLUSION Our study lays the groundwork for the identification of cardiac subtype surface markers that allow purification of cardiomyocyte sub-populations. Our findings suggest that JAK2 can be employed as a cell surface marker for enrichment of hPSC-derived ventricular-like CMs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Chuen Liew
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Boon Min Poh
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Omer An
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Republic of Singapore
| | - Beatrice Xuan Ho
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Christina Ying Yan Lim
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jeremy Kah Sheng Pang
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Leslie Y Beh
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore
| | - Henry He Yang
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117599, Republic of Singapore
| | - Boon-Seng Soh
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 61 Biopolis Drive, Proteos, Singapore, 138673, Republic of Singapore.
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117543, Republic of Singapore.
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25
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Finkel S, Sweet S, Locke T, Smith S, Wang Z, Sandini C, Imredy J, He Y, Durante M, Lagrutta A, Feinberg A, Lee A. FRESH™ 3D bioprinted cardiac tissue, a bioengineered platform for in vitro pharmacology. APL Bioeng 2023; 7:046113. [PMID: 38046544 PMCID: PMC10693443 DOI: 10.1063/5.0163363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
There is critical need for a predictive model of human cardiac physiology in drug development to assess compound effects on human tissues. In vitro two-dimensional monolayer cultures of cardiomyocytes provide biochemical and cellular readouts, and in vivo animal models provide information on systemic cardiovascular response. However, there remains a significant gap in these models due to their incomplete recapitulation of adult human cardiovascular physiology. Recent efforts in developing in vitro models from engineered heart tissues have demonstrated potential for bridging this gap using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) in three-dimensional tissue structure. Here, we advance this paradigm by implementing FRESH™ 3D bioprinting to build human cardiac tissues in a medium throughput, well-plate format with controlled tissue architecture, tailored cellular composition, and native-like physiological function, specifically in its drug response. We combined hiPSC-CMs, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts in a cellular bioink and FRESH™ 3D bioprinted this mixture in the format of a thin tissue strip stabilized on a tissue fixture. We show that cardiac tissues could be fabricated directly in a 24-well plate format were composed of dense and highly aligned hiPSC-CMs at >600 million cells/mL and, within 14 days, demonstrated reproducible calcium transients and a fast conduction velocity of ∼16 cm/s. Interrogation of these cardiac tissues with the β-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol showed responses consistent with positive chronotropy and inotropy. Treatment with calcium channel blocker verapamil demonstrated responses expected of hiPSC-CM derived cardiac tissues. These results confirm that FRESH™ 3D bioprinted cardiac tissues represent an in vitro platform that provides data on human physiological response.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Tyler Locke
- FluidForm, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, USA
| | - Sydney Smith
- FluidForm, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, USA
| | - Zhefan Wang
- FluidForm, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, USA
| | | | - John Imredy
- In Vitro Safety Pharmacology, Genetic and Cellular Toxicology, Merck & Co. Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, USA
| | - Yufang He
- Division of Technology, Infrastructure, Operations and Experience, Merck & Co. Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, USA
| | - Marc Durante
- Division of Technology, Infrastructure, Operations and Experience, Merck & Co. Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, USA
| | - Armando Lagrutta
- In Vitro Safety Pharmacology, Genetic and Cellular Toxicology, Merck & Co. Inc., Rahway, New Jersey 07065, USA
| | | | - Andrew Lee
- FluidForm, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts 02451, USA
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26
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Schulz C, Sönmez M, Krause J, Schwedhelm E, Bangfen P, Alihodzic D, Hansen A, Eschenhagen T, Christ T. A critical role of retinoic acid concentration for the induction of a fully human-like atrial action potential phenotype in hiPSC-CM. Stem Cell Reports 2023; 18:2096-2107. [PMID: 37922915 PMCID: PMC10679650 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.10.006] [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: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Retinoic acid (RA) induces an atrial phenotype in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), but expression of atrium-selective currents such as the ultrarapid (IKur) and acetylcholine-stimulated K+ current is variable and less than in the adult human atrium. We suspected methodological issues and systematically investigated the concentration dependency of RA. RA treatment increased IKur concentration dependently from 1.1 ± 0.54 pA/pF (0 RA) to 3.8 ± 1.1, 5.8 ± 2.5, and 12.2 ± 4.3 at 0.01, 0.1, and 1 μM, respectively. Only 1 μM RA induced enough IKur to fully reproduce human atrial action potential (AP) shape and a robust shortening of APs upon carbachol. We found that sterile filtration caused substantial loss of RA. We conclude that 1 μM RA seems to be necessary and sufficient to induce a full atrial AP shape in hiPSC-CM in EHT format. RA concentrations are prone to methodological issues and may profoundly impact the success of atrial differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Schulz
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Muhammed Sönmez
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Julia Krause
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany; Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Edzard Schwedhelm
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany; Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pan Bangfen
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dzenefa Alihodzic
- Hospital Pharmacy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arne Hansen
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Eschenhagen
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Torsten Christ
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany.
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27
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Ghosheh M, Ehrlich A, Ioannidis K, Ayyash M, Goldfracht I, Cohen M, Fischer A, Mintz Y, Gepstein L, Nahmias Y. Electro-metabolic coupling in multi-chambered vascularized human cardiac organoids. Nat Biomed Eng 2023; 7:1493-1513. [PMID: 37550423 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-023-01071-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
The study of cardiac physiology is hindered by physiological differences between humans and small-animal models. Here we report the generation of multi-chambered self-paced vascularized human cardiac organoids formed under anisotropic stress and their applicability to the study of cardiac arrhythmia. Sensors embedded in the cardiac organoids enabled the simultaneous measurement of oxygen uptake, extracellular field potentials and cardiac contraction at resolutions higher than 10 Hz. This microphysiological system revealed 1 Hz cardiac respiratory cycles that are coupled to the electrical rather than the mechanical activity of cardiomyocytes. This electro-mitochondrial coupling was driven by mitochondrial calcium oscillations driving respiration cycles. Pharmaceutical or genetic inhibition of this coupling results in arrhythmogenic behaviour. We show that the chemotherapeutic mitoxantrone induces arrhythmia through disruption of this pathway, a process that can be partially reversed by the co-administration of metformin. Our microphysiological cardiac systems may further facilitate the study of the mitochondrial dynamics of cardiac rhythms and advance our understanding of human cardiac physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Ghosheh
- Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Avner Ehrlich
- Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Tissue Dynamics, LTD, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Konstantinos Ioannidis
- Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Tissue Dynamics, LTD, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Muneef Ayyash
- Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Idit Goldfracht
- Sohnis Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Merav Cohen
- Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amit Fischer
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Yoav Mintz
- Department of General Surgery, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Lior Gepstein
- Sohnis Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
- Cardiology Department, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
| | - Yaakov Nahmias
- Alexander Grass Center for Bioengineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
- The Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Tissue Dynamics, LTD, Jerusalem, Israel.
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel.
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Kayser A, Dittmann S, Šarić T, Mearini G, Verkerk AO, Schulze-Bahr E. The W101C KCNJ5 Mutation Induces Slower Pacing by Constitutively Active GIRK Channels in hiPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:15290. [PMID: 37894977 PMCID: PMC10607318 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015290] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 10/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the KCNJ5 gene, encoding one of the major subunits of cardiac G-protein-gated inwardly rectifying K+ (GIRK) channels, have been recently linked to inherited forms of sinus node dysfunction. Here, the pathogenic mechanism of the W101C KCNJ5 mutation underlying sinus bradycardia in a patient-derived cellular disease model of sinus node dysfunction (SND) was investigated. A human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSCs) line of a mutation carrier was generated, and CRISPR/Cas9-based gene targeting was used to correct the familial mutation as a control line. Both cell lines were further differentiated into cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) that robustly expressed GIRK channels which underly the acetylcholine-regulated K+ current (IK,ACh). hiPSC-CMs with the W101C KCNJ5 mutation (hiPSCW101C-CM) had a constitutively active IK,ACh under baseline conditions; the application of carbachol was able to increase IK,ACh, further indicating that not all available cardiac GIRK channels were open at baseline. Additionally, hiPSCW101C-CM had a more negative maximal diastolic potential (MDP) and a slower pacing frequency confirming the bradycardic phenotype. Of note, the blockade of the constitutively active GIRK channel with XAF-1407 rescued the phenotype. These results provide further mechanistic insights and may pave the way for the treatment of SND patients with GIRK channel dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne Kayser
- Institute for Genetics of Heart Diseases (IfGH), University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany (S.D.); (E.S.-B.)
| | - Sven Dittmann
- Institute for Genetics of Heart Diseases (IfGH), University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany (S.D.); (E.S.-B.)
| | - Tomo Šarić
- Center for Physiology and Pathophysiology, Institute for Neurophysiology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50931 Cologne, Germany;
| | - Giulia Mearini
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20246 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Arie O. Verkerk
- Department of Medical Biology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Experimental Cardiology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, University of Amsterdam, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Eric Schulze-Bahr
- Institute for Genetics of Heart Diseases (IfGH), University Hospital Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany (S.D.); (E.S.-B.)
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29
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Aitova A, Berezhnoy A, Tsvelaya V, Gusev O, Lyundup A, Efimov AE, Agapov I, Agladze K. Biomimetic Cardiac Tissue Models for In Vitro Arrhythmia Studies. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:487. [PMID: 37887618 PMCID: PMC10604593 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8060487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac arrhythmias are a major cause of cardiovascular mortality worldwide. Many arrhythmias are caused by reentry, a phenomenon where excitation waves circulate in the heart. Optical mapping techniques have revealed the role of reentry in arrhythmia initiation and fibrillation transition, but the underlying biophysical mechanisms are still difficult to investigate in intact hearts. Tissue engineering models of cardiac tissue can mimic the structure and function of native cardiac tissue and enable interactive observation of reentry formation and wave propagation. This review will present various approaches to constructing cardiac tissue models for reentry studies, using the authors' work as examples. The review will highlight the evolution of tissue engineering designs based on different substrates, cell types, and structural parameters. A new approach using polymer materials and cellular reprogramming to create biomimetic cardiac tissues will be introduced. The review will also show how computational modeling of cardiac tissue can complement experimental data and how such models can be applied in the biomimetics of cardiac tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleria Aitova
- Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
- Almetyevsk State Oil Institute, 423450 Almetyevsk, Russia
| | - Andrey Berezhnoy
- Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
- Almetyevsk State Oil Institute, 423450 Almetyevsk, Russia
| | - Valeriya Tsvelaya
- Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
- Almetyevsk State Oil Institute, 423450 Almetyevsk, Russia
| | - Oleg Gusev
- Regulatory Genomics Research Center, Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, 420018 Kazan, Russia
- Life Improvement by Future Technologies (LIFT) Center, 143025 Moscow, Russia
- Intractable Disease Research Center, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
| | | | - Anton E. Efimov
- Academician V.I. Shumakov National Medical Research Center of Transplantology and Artificial Organs, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Igor Agapov
- Academician V.I. Shumakov National Medical Research Center of Transplantology and Artificial Organs, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Konstantin Agladze
- Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 141700 Dolgoprudny, Russia
- M.F. Vladimirsky Moscow Regional Clinical Research Institute, 129110 Moscow, Russia
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30
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Shiti A, Arbil G, Shaheen N, Huber I, Setter N, Gepstein L. Utilizing human induced pluripotent stem cells to study atrial arrhythmias in the short QT syndrome. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2023; 183:42-53. [PMID: 37579942 PMCID: PMC10589759 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2023.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Among the monogenic inherited causes of atrial fibrillation is the short QT syndrome (SQTS), a rare channelopathy causing atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. One of the limitations in studying the mechanisms and optimizing treatment of SQTS-related atrial arrhythmias has been the lack of relevant human atrial tissues models. OBJECTIVE To generate a unique model to study SQTS-related atrial arrhythmias by combining the use of patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), atrial-specific differentiation schemes, two-dimensional tissue modeling, optical mapping, and drug testing. METHODS AND RESULTS SQTS (N588K KCNH2 mutation), isogenic-control, and healthy-control hiPSCs were coaxed to differentiate into atrial cardiomyocytes using a retinoic-acid based differentiation protocol. The atrial identity of the cells was confirmed by a distinctive pattern of MLC2v downregulation, connexin 40 upregulation, shorter and triangular-shaped action potentials (APs), and expression of the atrial-specific acetylcholine-sensitive potassium current. In comparison to the healthy- and isogenic control cells, the SQTS-hiPSC atrial cardiomyocytes displayed abbreviated APs and refractory periods along with an augmented rapidly activating delayed-rectifier potassium current (IKr). Optical mapping of a hiPSC-based atrial tissue model of the SQTS displayed shortened APD and altered biophysical properties of spiral waves induced in this model, manifested by accelerated spiral-wave frequency and increased rotor curvature. Both AP shortening and arrhythmia irregularities were reversed by quinidine and vernakalant treatment, but not by sotalol. CONCLUSIONS Patient-specific hiPSC-based atrial cellular and tissue models of the SQTS were established, which provide examples on how this type of modeling can shed light on the pathogenesis and pharmacological treatment of inherited atrial arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Assad Shiti
- Sohnis Family Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gil Arbil
- Sohnis Family Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Naim Shaheen
- Sohnis Family Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Irit Huber
- Sohnis Family Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Noga Setter
- Sohnis Family Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lior Gepstein
- Sohnis Family Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel; Cardiolology Department, Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel.
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31
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Cofiño-Fabres C, Passier R, Schwach V. Towards Improved Human In Vitro Models for Cardiac Arrhythmia: Disease Mechanisms, Treatment, and Models of Atrial Fibrillation. Biomedicines 2023; 11:2355. [PMID: 37760796 PMCID: PMC10525681 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11092355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Heart rhythm disorders, arrhythmias, place a huge economic burden on society and have a large impact on the quality of life of a vast number of people. Arrhythmias can have genetic causes but primarily arise from heart tissue remodeling during aging or heart disease. As current therapies do not address the causes of arrhythmias but only manage the symptoms, it is of paramount importance to generate innovative test models and platforms for gaining knowledge about the underlying disease mechanisms which are compatible with drug screening. In this review, we outline the most important features of atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common cardiac arrhythmia. We will discuss the epidemiology, risk factors, underlying causes, and present therapies of AFib, as well as the shortcomings and opportunities of current models for cardiac arrhythmia, including animal models, in silico and in vitro models utilizing human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Cofiño-Fabres
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands;
| | - Robert Passier
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands;
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Verena Schwach
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, Drienerlolaan 5, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands;
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32
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Baena-Montes JM, Kraśny MJ, O’Halloran M, Dunne E, Quinlan LR. In Vitro Models for Improved Therapeutic Interventions in Atrial Fibrillation. J Pers Med 2023; 13:1237. [PMID: 37623487 PMCID: PMC10455620 DOI: 10.3390/jpm13081237] [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: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmias in humans, mostly caused by hyper excitation of specific areas in the atrium resulting in dyssynchronous atrial contractions, leading to severe consequences such as heart failure and stroke. Current therapeutics aim to target this condition through both pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. To test and validate any of these treatments, an appropriate preclinical model must be carefully chosen to refine and optimise the therapy features to correctly reverse this condition. A broad range of preclinical models have been developed over the years, with specific features and advantages to closely mimic the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation. In this review, currently available models are described, from traditional animal models and in vitro cell cultures to state-of-the-art organoids and organs-on-a-chip. The advantages, applications and limitations of each model are discussed, providing the information to select the appropriate model for each research application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jara M. Baena-Montes
- Physiology and Cellular Physiology Research Laboratory, School of Medicine, Human Biology Building, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
| | - Marcin J. Kraśny
- Smart Sensors Lab, Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
- Translational Medical Device Lab (TMDLab), Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
| | - Martin O’Halloran
- Translational Medical Device Lab (TMDLab), Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
- Electrical & Electronic Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
| | - Eoghan Dunne
- Translational Medical Device Lab (TMDLab), Lambe Institute for Translational Research, School of Medicine, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
| | - Leo R. Quinlan
- Physiology and Cellular Physiology Research Laboratory, School of Medicine, Human Biology Building, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
- CÚRAM SFI Centre for Research in Medical Devices, University of Galway, H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
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33
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Sun Z, Zhao J, Leung E, Flandes-Iparraguirre M, Vernon M, Silberstein J, De-Juan-Pardo EM, Jansen S. Three-Dimensional Bioprinting in Cardiovascular Disease: Current Status and Future Directions. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1180. [PMID: 37627245 PMCID: PMC10452258 DOI: 10.3390/biom13081180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) printing plays an important role in cardiovascular disease through the use of personalised models that replicate the normal anatomy and its pathology with high accuracy and reliability. While 3D printed heart and vascular models have been shown to improve medical education, preoperative planning and simulation of cardiac procedures, as well as to enhance communication with patients, 3D bioprinting represents a potential advancement of 3D printing technology by allowing the printing of cellular or biological components, functional tissues and organs that can be used in a variety of applications in cardiovascular disease. Recent advances in bioprinting technology have shown the ability to support vascularisation of large-scale constructs with enhanced biocompatibility and structural stability, thus creating opportunities to replace damaged tissues or organs. In this review, we provide an overview of the use of 3D bioprinting in cardiovascular disease with a focus on technologies and applications in cardiac tissues, vascular constructs and grafts, heart valves and myocardium. Limitations and future research directions are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghua Sun
- Discipline of Medical Radiation Science, Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia;
- Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute (CHIRI), Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Jack Zhao
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (J.Z.); (E.L.)
| | - Emily Leung
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (J.Z.); (E.L.)
| | - Maria Flandes-Iparraguirre
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain;
- T3mPLATE, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre and UWA Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (M.V.); (E.M.D.-J.-P.)
- School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Michael Vernon
- T3mPLATE, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre and UWA Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (M.V.); (E.M.D.-J.-P.)
- School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Vascular Engineering Laboratory, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre and UWA Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Jenna Silberstein
- Discipline of Medical Radiation Science, Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia;
| | - Elena M. De-Juan-Pardo
- T3mPLATE, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre and UWA Centre for Medical Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; (M.V.); (E.M.D.-J.-P.)
- School of Engineering, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia;
| | - Shirley Jansen
- Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia;
- Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- Heart and Vascular Research Institute, Harry Perkins Medical Research Institute, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
- School of Medicine, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
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34
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Thorpe J, Perry MD, Contreras O, Hurley E, Parker G, Harvey RP, Hill AP, Vandenberg JI. Development of a robust induced pluripotent stem cell atrial cardiomyocyte differentiation protocol to model atrial arrhythmia. Stem Cell Res Ther 2023; 14:183. [PMID: 37501071 PMCID: PMC10373292 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-023-03405-5] [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: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia syndrome and causes significant morbidity and mortality. Current therapeutics, however, have limited efficacy. Notably, many therapeutics shown to be efficacious in animal models have not proved effective in humans. Thus, there is a need for a drug screening platform based on human tissue. The aim of this study was to develop a robust protocol for generating atrial cardiomyocytes from human-induced pluripotent stem cells. METHODS A novel protocol for atrial differentiation, with optimized timing of retinoic acid during mesoderm formation, was compared to two previously published methods. Each differentiation method was assessed for successful formation of a contractile syncytium, electrical properties assayed by optical action potential recordings and multi-electrode array electrophysiology, and response to the G-protein-gated potassium channel activator, carbamylcholine. Atrial myocyte monolayers, derived using the new differentiation protocol, were further assessed for cardiomyocyte purity, gene expression, and the ability to form arrhythmic rotors in response to burst pacing. RESULTS Application of retinoic acid at day 1 of mesoderm formation resulted in a robust differentiation of atrial myocytes with contractile syncytium forming in 16/18 differentiations across two cell lines. Atrial-like myocytes produced have shortened action potentials and field potentials, when compared to standard application of retinoic acid at the cardiac mesoderm stage. Day 1 retinoic acid produced atrial cardiomyocytes are also carbamylcholine sensitive, indicative of active Ikach currents, which was distinct from ventricular myocytes and standard retinoic addition in matched differentiations. A current protocol utilizing reduced Activin A and BMP4 can produce atrial cardiomyocytes with equivalent functionality but with reduced robustness of differentiation; only 8/17 differentiations produced a contractile syncytium. The day 1 retinoic acid protocol was successfully applied to 6 iPSC lines (3 male and 3 female) without additional optimization or modification. Atrial myocytes produced could also generate syncytia with rapid conduction velocities, > 40 cm s-1, and form rotor style arrhythmia in response to burst pacing. CONCLUSIONS This method combines an enhanced atrial-like phenotype with robustness of differentiation, which will facilitate further research in human atrial arrhythmia and myopathies, while being economically viable for larger anti-arrhythmic drug screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Thorpe
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Matthew D Perry
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Osvaldo Contreras
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Emily Hurley
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - George Parker
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Richard P Harvey
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
- School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Adam P Hill
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
| | - Jamie I Vandenberg
- Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
- School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
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35
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Muniyandi P, O’Hern C, Popa MA, Aguirre A. Biotechnological advances and applications of human pluripotent stem cell-derived heart models. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1214431. [PMID: 37560538 PMCID: PMC10407810 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1214431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, significant biotechnological advancements have been made in engineering human cardiac tissues and organ-like models. This field of research is crucial for both basic and translational research due to cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death in the developed world. Additionally, drug-associated cardiotoxicity poses a major challenge for drug development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. Progress in three-dimensional cell culture and microfluidic devices has enabled the generation of human cardiac models that faithfully recapitulate key aspects of human physiology. In this review, we will discuss 3D pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-models of the human heart, such as engineered heart tissues and organoids, and their applications in disease modeling and drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyadharshni Muniyandi
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Colin O’Hern
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Mirel Adrian Popa
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology Nicolae Simionescu, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Aitor Aguirre
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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36
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Allan A, Creech J, Hausner C, Krajcarski P, Gunawan B, Poulin N, Kozlowski P, Clark CW, Dow R, Saraithong P, Mair DB, Block T, Monteiro da Rocha A, Kim DH, Herron TJ. High-throughput longitudinal electrophysiology screening of mature chamber-specific hiPSC-CMs using optical mapping. iScience 2023; 26:107142. [PMID: 37416454 PMCID: PMC10320609 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
hiPSC-CMs are being considered by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies for in vitro cardiotoxicity screening to provide human-relevant safety data. Widespread adoption of hiPSC-CMs in regulatory and academic science is limited by the immature, fetal-like phenotype of the cells. Here, to advance the maturation state of hiPSC-CMs, we developed and validated a human perinatal stem cell-derived extracellular matrix coating applied to high-throughput cell culture plates. We also present and validate a cardiac optical mapping device designed for high-throughput functional assessment of mature hiPSC-CM action potentials using voltage-sensitive dye and calcium transients using calcium-sensitive dyes or genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECI, GCaMP6). We utilize the optical mapping device to provide new biological insight into mature chamber-specific hiPSC-CMs, responsiveness to cardioactive drugs, the effect of GCaMP6 genetic variants on electrophysiological function, and the effect of daily β-receptor stimulation on hiPSC-CM monolayer function and SERCA2a expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Allan
- Cairn Research, Graveney Road, Faversham, Kent ME13 8UP UK
| | - Jeffery Creech
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Christian Hausner
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Peyton Krajcarski
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Bianca Gunawan
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Noah Poulin
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Paul Kozlowski
- Michigan Medicine, Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Christopher Wayne Clark
- University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Rachel Dow
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Prakaimuk Saraithong
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Michigan Medicine, Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Devin B. Mair
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Travis Block
- StemBioSys, Inc, 3463 Magic Drive, Suite 110, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Andre Monteiro da Rocha
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Michigan Medicine, Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Deok-Ho Kim
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Todd J. Herron
- University of Michigan, Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Michigan Medicine, Internal Medicine-Cardiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Michigan Medicine, Molecular & Integrative Physiology, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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Wu CA, Zhu Y, Woo YJ. Advances in 3D Bioprinting: Techniques, Applications, and Future Directions for Cardiac Tissue Engineering. Bioengineering (Basel) 2023; 10:842. [PMID: 37508869 PMCID: PMC10376421 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering10070842] [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: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Cardiac tissue engineering is a direction in regenerative medicine that aims to repair various heart defects with the long-term goal of artificially rebuilding a full-scale organ that matches its native structure and function. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting offers promising applications through its layer-by-layer biomaterial deposition using different techniques and bio-inks. In this review, we will introduce cardiac tissue engineering, 3D bioprinting processes, bioprinting techniques, bio-ink materials, areas of limitation, and the latest applications of this technology, alongside its future directions for further innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine A Wu
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yuanjia Zhu
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Y Joseph Woo
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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38
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Ahmad FS, Jin Y, Grassam-Rowe A, Zhou Y, Yuan M, Fan X, Zhou R, Mu-u-min R, O'Shea C, Ibrahim AM, Hyder W, Aguib Y, Yacoub M, Pavlovic D, Zhang Y, Tan X, Lei M, Terrar DA. Generation of cardiomyocytes from human-induced pluripotent stem cells resembling atrial cells with ability to respond to adrenoceptor agonists. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220312. [PMID: 37122218 PMCID: PMC10150206 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common chronic arrhythmia presenting a heavy disease burden. We report a new approach for generating cardiomyocytes (CMs) resembling atrial cells from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) using a combination of Gremlin 2 and retinoic acid treatment. More than 40% of myocytes showed rod-shaped morphology, expression of CM proteins (including ryanodine receptor 2, α-actinin-2 and F-actin) and striated appearance, all of which were broadly similar to the characteristics of adult atrial myocytes (AMs). Isolated myocytes were electrically quiescent until stimulated to fire action potentials with an AM profile and an amplitude of approximately 100 mV, arising from a resting potential of approximately -70 mV. Single-cell RNA sequence analysis showed a high level of expression of several atrial-specific transcripts including NPPA, MYL7, HOXA3, SLN, KCNJ4, KCNJ5 and KCNA5. Amplitudes of calcium transients recorded from spontaneously beating cultures were increased by the stimulation of α-adrenoceptors (activated by phenylephrine and blocked by prazosin) or β-adrenoceptors (activated by isoproterenol and blocked by CGP20712A). Our new approach provides human AMs with mature characteristics from hiPSCs which will facilitate drug discovery by enabling the study of human atrial cell signalling pathways and AF. This article is part of the theme issue 'The heartbeat: its molecular basis and physiological mechanisms'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faizzan S. Ahmad
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
- Cure8bio, Inc, 395 Fulton Street, Westbury, NY 11590, USA
| | - Yongcheng Jin
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
| | | | - Yafei Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of the Ministry of Education and Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 6400, People's Republic of China
- Shaanxi Institute for Pediatric Diseases, Department of Cardiology, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an 710003, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Yuan
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Xuehui Fan
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of the Ministry of Education and Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 6400, People's Republic of China
| | - Rui Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of the Ministry of Education and Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 6400, People's Republic of China
| | - Razik Mu-u-min
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
| | - Christopher O'Shea
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medicine and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Ayman M. Ibrahim
- Aswan Heart Centre, Aswan 1242770, Egypt
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Egypt
| | - Wajiha Hyder
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
| | - Yasmine Aguib
- Aswan Heart Centre, Aswan 1242770, Egypt
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Heart Science Centre, Imperial College London, Middlesex SW3 6LY, UK
| | - Magdi Yacoub
- Aswan Heart Centre, Aswan 1242770, Egypt
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Heart Science Centre, Imperial College London, Middlesex SW3 6LY, UK
| | - Davor Pavlovic
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medicine and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Yanmin Zhang
- Shaanxi Institute for Pediatric Diseases, Department of Cardiology, Xi'an Children's Hospital, Xi'an 710003, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiaoqiu Tan
- Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of the Ministry of Education and Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 6400, People's Republic of China
| | - Ming Lei
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
| | - Derek A. Terrar
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3QT, UK
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Murphy JF, Costa KD, Turnbull IC. Rianú: Multi-tissue tracking software for increased throughput of engineered cardiac tissue screening. COMPUTER METHODS AND PROGRAMS IN BIOMEDICINE UPDATE 2023; 3:100107. [PMID: 37476002 PMCID: PMC10359020 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmpbup.2023.100107] [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: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Background The field of tissue engineering has provided valuable three-dimensional species-specific models of the human myocardium in the form of human Engineered Cardiac Tissues (hECTs) and similar constructs. However, hECT systems are often bottlenecked by a lack of openly available software that can collect data from multiple tissues at a time, even in multi-tissue bioreactors, which limits throughput in phenotypic and therapeutic screening applications. Methods We developed Rianú, an open-source web application capable of simultaneously tracking multiple hECTs on flexible end-posts. This software is operating system agnostic and deployable on a remote server, accessible via a web browser with no local hardware or software requirements. The software incorporates object-tracking capabilities for multiple objects simultaneously, an algorithm for twitch tracing analysis and contractile force calculation, and a data compilation system for comparative analysis within and amongst groups. Validation tests were performed using in-silico and in-vitro experiments for comparison with established methods and interventions. Results Rianú was able to detect the displacement of the flexible end-posts with a sub-pixel sensitivity of 0.555 px/post (minimum increment in post displacement) and a lower limit of 1.665 px/post (minimum post displacement). Compared to our established reference for contractility assessment, Rianú had a high correlation for all parameters analyzed (ranging from R 2 = 0.7514 to R 2 = 0.9695 ), demonstrating its high accuracy and reliability. Conclusions Rianú provides simultaneous tracking of multiple hECTs, expediting the recording and analysis processes, and simplifies time-based intervention studies. It also allows data collection from different formats and has scale-up capabilities proportional to the number of tissues per field of view. These capabilities will enhance throughput of hECTs and similar assays for in-vitro analysis in disease modeling and drug screening applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack F. Murphy
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1014, New York City, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Kevin D. Costa
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1014, New York City, 10029, NY, USA
| | - Irene C. Turnbull
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, Box 1014, New York City, 10029, NY, USA
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Lee P, Hou L, Alibhai FJ, Al-attar R, Simón-Chica A, Redondo-Rodríguez A, Nie Y, Mirotsou M, Laflamme MA, Swaminath G, Filgueiras-Rama D. A fully-automated low-cost cardiac monolayer optical mapping robot. Front Cardiovasc Med 2023; 10:1096884. [PMID: 37283579 PMCID: PMC10240081 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2023.1096884] [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: 11/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Scalable and high-throughput electrophysiological measurement systems are necessary to accelerate the elucidation of cardiac diseases in drug development. Optical mapping is the primary method of simultaneously measuring several key electrophysiological parameters, such as action potentials, intracellular free calcium and conduction velocity, at high spatiotemporal resolution. This tool has been applied to isolated whole-hearts, whole-hearts in-vivo, tissue-slices and cardiac monolayers/tissue-constructs. Although optical mapping of all of these substrates have contributed to our understanding of ion-channels and fibrillation dynamics, cardiac monolayers/tissue-constructs are scalable macroscopic substrates that are particularly amenable to high-throughput interrogation. Here, we describe and validate a scalable and fully-automated monolayer optical mapping robot that requires no human intervention and with reasonable costs. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we performed parallelized macroscopic optical mapping of calcium dynamics in the well-established neonatal-rat-ventricular-myocyte monolayer plated on standard 35 mm dishes. Given the advancements in regenerative and personalized medicine, we also performed parallelized macroscopic optical mapping of voltage dynamics in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte monolayers using a genetically encoded voltage indictor and a commonly-used voltage sensitive dye to demonstrate the versatility of our system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Lee
- Novel Arrhythmogenic Mechanisms Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
- Essel Research and Development Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Luqia Hou
- Cardiometabolic Department, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Faisal J. Alibhai
- McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Rasha Al-attar
- McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Ana Simón-Chica
- Novel Arrhythmogenic Mechanisms Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Andrés Redondo-Rodríguez
- Novel Arrhythmogenic Mechanisms Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Yilin Nie
- Cardiometabolic Department, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Maria Mirotsou
- Cardiometabolic Department, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Michael A. Laflamme
- McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Gayathri Swaminath
- Cardiometabolic Department, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - David Filgueiras-Rama
- Novel Arrhythmogenic Mechanisms Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), Madrid, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Cardiovasculares (CIBERCV), Madrid, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital Clínico San Carlos (IdISSC), Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
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Abstract
The heart is the first functional organ established during embryogenesis. Investigating heart development and disease is a fascinating and crucial field of research because cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, there is great interest in establishing in vitro models for recapitulating both physiological and pathological aspects of human heart development, tissue function and malfunction. Derived from pluripotent stem cells, a large variety of three-dimensional cardiac in vitro models have been introduced in recent years. In this At a Glance article, we discuss the available methods to generate such models, grouped according to the following classification: cardiac organoids, cardiac microtissues and engineered cardiac tissues. For these models, we provide a systematic overview of their applications for disease modeling and therapeutic development, as well as their advantages and limitations to assist scientists in choosing the most suitable model for their research purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lika Drakhlis
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery (HTTG), REBIRTH - Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
- Authors for correspondence (; )
| | - Robert Zweigerdt
- Leibniz Research Laboratories for Biotechnology and Artificial Organs (LEBAO), Department of Cardiothoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery (HTTG), REBIRTH - Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover 30625, Germany
- Authors for correspondence (; )
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Altomare C, Bartolucci C, Sala L, Balbi C, Burrello J, Pietrogiovanna N, Burrello A, Bolis S, Panella S, Arici M, Krause R, Rocchetti M, Severi S, Barile L. A dynamic clamping approach using in silico IK1 current for discrimination of chamber-specific hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Commun Biol 2023; 6:291. [PMID: 36934210 PMCID: PMC10024709 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04674-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CM) constitute a mixed population of ventricular-, atrial-, nodal-like cells, limiting the reliability for studying chamber-specific disease mechanisms. Previous studies characterised CM phenotype based on action potential (AP) morphology, but the classification criteria were still undefined. Our aim was to use in silico models to develop an automated approach for discriminating the electrophysiological differences between hiPSC-CM. We propose the dynamic clamp (DC) technique with the injection of a specific IK1 current as a tool for deriving nine electrical biomarkers and blindly classifying differentiated CM. An unsupervised learning algorithm was applied to discriminate CM phenotypes and principal component analysis was used to visualise cell clustering. Pharmacological validation was performed by specific ion channel blocker and receptor agonist. The proposed approach improves the translational relevance of the hiPSC-CM model for studying mechanisms underlying inherited or acquired atrial arrhythmias in human CM, and for screening anti-arrhythmic agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Altomare
- Cardiovascular Theranostics, Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
- Laboratories for Translational Research, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Euler institute, Università Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Bartolucci
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering 'Guglielmo Marconi', University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy
| | - Luca Sala
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS, Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias of Genetic Origin and Laboratory of Cardiovascular Genetics, Milan, Italy
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Carolina Balbi
- Laboratories for Translational Research, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Cellular and Molecular Cardiology, Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
- Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jacopo Burrello
- Cardiovascular Theranostics, Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
- Division of Internal Medicine 4 and Hypertension Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Torino, Torino, Italy
| | - Nicole Pietrogiovanna
- Cardiovascular Theranostics, Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Alessio Burrello
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering (DEI), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sara Bolis
- Cardiovascular Theranostics, Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
- Laboratories for Translational Research, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
- Cellular and Molecular Cardiology, Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Panella
- Cardiovascular Theranostics, Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland
- Laboratories for Translational Research, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland
| | - Martina Arici
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Rolf Krause
- Euler institute, Università Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland
| | - Marcella Rocchetti
- Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milano, Italy
| | - Stefano Severi
- Department of Electrical, Electronic and Information Engineering 'Guglielmo Marconi', University of Bologna, Cesena, Italy.
| | - Lucio Barile
- Cardiovascular Theranostics, Istituto Cardiocentro Ticino, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Lugano, Switzerland.
- Laboratories for Translational Research, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
- Euler institute, Università Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
- Institute of Life Science, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy.
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Novel method of differentiating human induced pluripotent stem cells to mature cardiomyocytes via Sfrp2. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3920. [PMID: 36894665 PMCID: PMC9998650 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31144-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Current methods to generate cardiomyocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) utilize broad-spectrum pharmacological inhibitors. These methods give rise to cardiomyocytes which are typically immature. Since we have recently demonstrated that cardiomyogenesis in vitro and in vivo requires Sfrp2, we asked if Sfrp2 would drive differentiation of human iPSc into cardiomyocytes. Indeed, we found that Sfrp2 induced robust cardiac differentiation. Importantly, replacement of broad spectrum pharmacological inhibitors with Sfrp2 gave rise to mature cardiomyocytes as evidenced by their sarcomere structure, electrophysiological profiles, and ability to form gap junctions.
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Schulz C, Lemoine MD, Mearini G, Koivumäki J, Sani J, Schwedhelm E, Kirchhof P, Ghalawinji A, Stoll M, Hansen A, Eschenhagen T, Christ T. PITX2 Knockout Induces Key Findings of Electrical Remodeling as Seen in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation. Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol 2023; 16:e011602. [PMID: 36763906 DOI: 10.1161/circep.122.011602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Electrical remodeling in human persistent atrial fibrillation is believed to result from rapid electrical activation of the atria, but underlying genetic causes may contribute. Indeed, common gene variants in an enhancer region close to PITX2 (paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2) are strongly associated with atrial fibrillation, but the mechanism behind this association remains unknown. This study evaluated the consequences of PITX2 deletion (PITX2-/-) in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial cardiomyocytes. METHODS CRISPR/Cas9 (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat-associated 9) was used to delete PITX2 in a healthy human iPSC line that served as isogenic control. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial cardiomyocytes were differentiated with unfiltered retinoic acid and cultured in atrial engineered heart tissue. Force and action potential were measured in atrial engineered heart tissues. Single human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial cardiomyocytes were isolated from atrial engineered heart tissue for ion current measurements. RESULTS PITX2-/- atrial engineered heart tissue beats slightly slower than isogenic control without irregularity. Force was lower in PITX2-/- than in isogenic control (0.053±0.015 versus 0.131±0.017 mN, n=28/3 versus n=28/4, PITX2-/- versus isogenic control; P<0.0001), accompanied by lower expression of CACNA1C and lower L-type Ca2+ current density. Early repolarization was weaker (action potential duration at 20% repolarization; 45.5±13.2 versus 8.6±5.3 ms, n=18/3 versus n=12/4, PITX2-/- versus isogenic control; P<0.0001), and maximum diastolic potential was more negative (-78.3±3.1 versus -69.7±0.6 mV, n=18/3 versus n=12/4, PITX2-/- versus isogenic control; P=0.001), despite normal inward rectifier currents (both IK1 and IK,ACh) and carbachol-induced shortening of action potential duration. CONCLUSIONS Complete PITX2 deficiency in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived atrial cardiomyocytes recapitulates some findings of electrical remodeling of atrial fibrillation in the absence of fast beating, indicating that these abnormalities could be primary consequences of lower PITX2 levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Schulz
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., A.H., T.E., T.C.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., E.S., P.K.)
| | - Marc D Lemoine
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., A.H., T.E., T.C.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., E.S., P.K.)
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, Hamburg, Germany (M.D.L., A.H., P.K., T.E., T.C.)
| | - Giulia Mearini
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., A.H., T.E., T.C.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., E.S., P.K.)
- DiNAQOR AG, Pfäffikon, Switzerland (G.M., P.K.)
| | - Jussi Koivumäki
- BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Finland (J.K.)
| | - Jascha Sani
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., A.H., T.E., T.C.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., E.S., P.K.)
| | - Edzard Schwedhelm
- Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology (E.S.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., E.S., P.K.)
| | - Paulus Kirchhof
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Partner Site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., E.S., P.K.)
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, Hamburg, Germany (M.D.L., A.H., P.K., T.E., T.C.)
- DiNAQOR AG, Pfäffikon, Switzerland (G.M., P.K.)
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom (P.K.)
| | - Amer Ghalawinji
- Division of Genetic Epidemiology, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Münster, Germany (A.G., M.S.)
| | - Monika Stoll
- Division of Genetic Epidemiology, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Münster, Germany (A.G., M.S.)
- Department of Biochemistry, CARIM School for Cardiovascular Sciences, Maastricht University, the Netherlands (M.S.)
| | - Arne Hansen
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., A.H., T.E., T.C.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, Hamburg, Germany (M.D.L., A.H., P.K., T.E., T.C.)
| | - Thomas Eschenhagen
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., A.H., T.E., T.C.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, Hamburg, Germany (M.D.L., A.H., P.K., T.E., T.C.)
| | - Torsten Christ
- Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology (C.S., M.D.L., G.M., J.S., A.H., T.E., T.C.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart and Vascular Center, Hamburg, Germany (M.D.L., A.H., P.K., T.E., T.C.)
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Abstract
Heart disease is a significant burden on global health care systems and is a leading cause of death each year. To improve our understanding of heart disease, high quality disease models are needed. These will facilitate the discovery and development of new treatments for heart disease. Traditionally, researchers have relied on 2D monolayer systems or animal models of heart disease to elucidate pathophysiology and drug responses. Heart-on-a-chip (HOC) technology is an emerging field where cardiomyocytes among other cell types in the heart can be used to generate functional, beating cardiac microtissues that recapitulate many features of the human heart. HOC models are showing great promise as disease modeling platforms and are poised to serve as important tools in the drug development pipeline. By leveraging advances in human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte biology and microfabrication technology, diseased HOCs are highly tuneable and can be generated via different approaches such as: using cells with defined genetic backgrounds (patient-derived cells), adding small molecules, modifying the cells' environment, altering cell ratio/composition of microtissues, among others. HOCs have been used to faithfully model aspects of arrhythmia, fibrosis, infection, cardiomyopathies, and ischemia, to name a few. In this review, we highlight recent advances in disease modeling using HOC systems, describing instances where these models outperformed other models in terms of reproducing disease phenotypes and/or led to drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar Mourad
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (O.M., R.Y., M.L., S.S.N.), University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Biomedical Engineering (O.M., R.Y., M.L., S.S.N.), University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Ryan Yee
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (O.M., R.Y., M.L., S.S.N.), University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Biomedical Engineering (O.M., R.Y., M.L., S.S.N.), University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Mengyuan Li
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (O.M., R.Y., M.L., S.S.N.), University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Biomedical Engineering (O.M., R.Y., M.L., S.S.N.), University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Sara S Nunes
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (O.M., R.Y., M.L., S.S.N.), University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.,Ajmera Transplant Center (S.S.N.), University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.,Institute of Biomedical Engineering (O.M., R.Y., M.L., S.S.N.), University of Toronto, Canada.,Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (S.S.N.), University of Toronto, Canada.,Heart and Stroke/Richard Lewar Centre of Excellence (S.S.N.), University of Toronto, Canada
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Min S, Cho SW. Engineered human cardiac tissues for modeling heart diseases. BMB Rep 2023; 56:32-42. [PMID: 36443005 PMCID: PMC9887099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Heart disease is one of the major life-threatening diseases with high mortality and incidence worldwide. Several model systems, such as primary cells and animals, have been used to understand heart diseases and establish appropriate treatments. However, they have limitations in accuracy and reproducibility in recapitulating disease pathophysiology and evaluating drug responses. In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) cardiac tissue models produced using tissue engineering technology and human cells have outperformed conventional models. In particular, the integration of cell reprogramming techniques with bioengineering platforms (e.g., microfluidics, scaffolds, bioprinting, and biophysical stimuli) has facilitated the development of heart-ona- chip, cardiac spheroid/organoid, and engineered heart tissue (EHT) to recapitulate the structural and functional features of the native human heart. These cardiac models have improved heart disease modeling and toxicological evaluation. In this review, we summarize the cell types for the fabrication of cardiac tissue models, introduce diverse 3D human cardiac tissue models, and discuss the strategies to enhance their complexity and maturity. Finally, recent studies in the modeling of various heart diseases are reviewed. [BMB Reports 2023; 56(1): 32-42].
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungjin Min
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Seung-Woo Cho
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea,Center for Nanomedicine, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul 03722, Korea,Corresponding author. Tel: +82-2-2123-5662; Fax: +82-2-362-7265; E-mail:
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Amesz JH, Zhang L, Everts BR, De Groot NMS, Taverne YJHJ. Living myocardial slices: Advancing arrhythmia research. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1076261. [PMID: 36711023 PMCID: PMC9880234 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1076261] [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: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Living myocardial slices (LMS) are ultrathin (150-400 µm) sections of intact myocardium that can be used as a comprehensive model for cardiac arrhythmia research. The recent introduction of biomimetic electromechanical cultivation chambers enables long-term cultivation and easy control of living myocardial slices culture conditions. The aim of this review is to present the potential of this biomimetic interface using living myocardial slices in electrophysiological studies outlining advantages, disadvantages and future perspectives of the model. Furthermore, different electrophysiological techniques and their application on living myocardial slices will be discussed. The developments of living myocardial slices in electrophysiology research will hopefully lead to future breakthroughs in the understanding of cardiac arrhythmia mechanisms and the development of novel therapeutic options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jorik H. Amesz
- Translational Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Lab, Lowlands Institute for Bioelectric Medicine, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands,Translational Electrophysiology, Lowlands Institute for Bioelectric Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lu Zhang
- Translational Electrophysiology, Lowlands Institute for Bioelectric Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Bian R. Everts
- Translational Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Lab, Lowlands Institute for Bioelectric Medicine, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Natasja M. S. De Groot
- Translational Electrophysiology, Lowlands Institute for Bioelectric Medicine, Department of Cardiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Yannick J. H. J. Taverne
- Translational Cardiothoracic Surgery Research Lab, Lowlands Institute for Bioelectric Medicine, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands,*Correspondence: Yannick J. H. J. Taverne,
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Chen X, Zhu L, Wang X, Xiao J. Insight into Heart-Tailored Architectures of Hydrogel to Restore Cardiac Functions after Myocardial Infarction. Mol Pharm 2023; 20:57-81. [PMID: 36413809 DOI: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.2c00650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
With permanent heart muscle injury or death, myocardial infarction (MI) is complicated by inflammatory, proliferation and remodeling phases from both the early ischemic period and subsequent infarct expansion. Though in situ re-establishment of blood flow to the infarct zone and delays of the ventricular remodeling process are current treatment options of MI, they fail to address massive loss of viable cardiomyocytes while transplanting stem cells to regenerate heart is hindered by their poor retention in the infarct bed. Equipped with heart-specific mimicry and extracellular matrix (ECM)-like functionality on the network structure, hydrogels leveraging tissue-matching biomechanics and biocompatibility can mechanically constrain the infarct and act as localized transport of bioactive ingredients to refresh the dysfunctional heart under the constant cyclic stress. Given diverse characteristics of hydrogel including conductivity, anisotropy, adhesiveness, biodegradability, self-healing and mechanical properties driving local cardiac repair, we aim to investigate and conclude the dynamic balance between ordered architectures of hydrogels and the post-MI pathological milieu. Additionally, our review summarizes advantages of heart-tailored architectures of hydrogels in cardiac repair following MI. Finally, we propose challenges and prospects in clinical translation of hydrogels to draw theoretical guidance on cardiac repair and regeneration after MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuerui Chen
- Institute of Geriatrics (Shanghai University), Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai University (The Sixth People's Hospital of Nantong), School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Nantong 226011, China.,Cardiac Regeneration and Ageing Lab, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Organ Repair, School of Life Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Liyun Zhu
- Institute of Geriatrics (Shanghai University), Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai University (The Sixth People's Hospital of Nantong), School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Nantong 226011, China.,Cardiac Regeneration and Ageing Lab, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Organ Repair, School of Life Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
| | - Xu Wang
- Hangzhou Medical College, Binjiang Higher Education Park, Binwen Road 481, Hangzhou 310053, China
| | - Junjie Xiao
- Institute of Geriatrics (Shanghai University), Affiliated Nantong Hospital of Shanghai University (The Sixth People's Hospital of Nantong), School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Nantong 226011, China.,Cardiac Regeneration and Ageing Lab, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Organ Repair, School of Life Science, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, China
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Huang X, Zeng J, Wang Y. Comparison of the enhanced attachment and proliferation of the human mesenchymal stem cells on the biomimetic nanopatterned surfaces of zein, silk fibroin, and gelatin. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater 2023; 111:161-172. [PMID: 35906959 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.35142] [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: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 06/25/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Natural proteins have been reported to positively affect the attachment and proliferation of cells. For the first time, zein, a plant protein, was utilized to make patterned surface mimicking the extracellular matrix to assist the attachment and proliferation of stem cells. Zein would promote the attachment and proliferation of the stem cells more than 10 times of that of gelatin and silk fibroin, respectively, which are popular protein selections for the formation of the biomaterial scaffolds. The more the surface was covered by zein, the more the stem cell grown. It was revealed that the stem cells would grow and stretch in the direction of the patterns, and the stem cells preferred to grow in the grooves in the size of 8 μm, that was similar to the size of the stem cells, rather than the size larger or smaller than that of the cells, such as 50 and 2 μm. It was concluded that zein is a better choice than silk fibroin and gelatin with highly potential for the formation of patterned surface and structure as the biomaterial scaffolds for stem cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueying Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Jie Zeng
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yi Wang
- Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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Min S, Cho SW. Engineered human cardiac tissues for modeling heart diseases. BMB Rep 2023; 56:32-42. [PMID: 36443005 PMCID: PMC9887099 DOI: 10.5483/bmbrep.2022-0185] [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: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Heart disease is one of the major life-threatening diseases with high mortality and incidence worldwide. Several model systems, such as primary cells and animals, have been used to understand heart diseases and establish appropriate treatments. However, they have limitations in accuracy and reproducibility in recapitulating disease pathophysiology and evaluating drug responses. In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) cardiac tissue models produced using tissue engineering technology and human cells have outperformed conventional models. In particular, the integration of cell reprogramming techniques with bioengineering platforms (e.g., microfluidics, scaffolds, bioprinting, and biophysical stimuli) has facilitated the development of heart-ona- chip, cardiac spheroid/organoid, and engineered heart tissue (EHT) to recapitulate the structural and functional features of the native human heart. These cardiac models have improved heart disease modeling and toxicological evaluation. In this review, we summarize the cell types for the fabrication of cardiac tissue models, introduce diverse 3D human cardiac tissue models, and discuss the strategies to enhance their complexity and maturity. Finally, recent studies in the modeling of various heart diseases are reviewed. [BMB Reports 2023; 56(1): 32-42].
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Affiliation(s)
- Sungjin Min
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - Seung-Woo Cho
- Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Korea
- Center for Nanomedicine, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul 03722, Korea
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