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Feaster TK, Ewoldt JK, Avila A, Casciola M, Narkar A, Chen CS, Blinova K. Nonclinical evaluation of chronic cardiac contractility modulation on 3D human engineered cardiac tissues. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2024; 35:895-905. [PMID: 38433304 DOI: 10.1111/jce.16222] [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: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) is a medical device-based therapy delivering non-excitatory electrical stimulations to the heart to enhance cardiac function in heart failure (HF) patients. The lack of human in vitro tools to assess CCM hinders our understanding of CCM mechanisms of action. Here, we introduce a novel chronic (i.e., 2-day) in vitro CCM assay to evaluate the effects of CCM in a human 3D microphysiological system consisting of engineered cardiac tissues (ECTs). METHODS Cryopreserved human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes were used to generate 3D ECTs. The ECTs were cultured, incorporating human primary ventricular cardiac fibroblasts and a fibrin-based gel. Electrical stimulation was applied using two separate pulse generators for the CCM group and control group. Contractile properties and intracellular calcium were measured, and a cardiac gene quantitative PCR screen was conducted. RESULTS Chronic CCM increased contraction amplitude and duration, enhanced intracellular calcium transient amplitude, and altered gene expression related to HF (i.e., natriuretic peptide B, NPPB) and excitation-contraction coupling (i.e., sodium-calcium exchanger, SLC8). CONCLUSION These data represent the first study of chronic CCM in a 3D ECT model, providing a nonclinical tool to assess the effects of cardiac electrophysiology medical device signals complementing in vivo animal studies. The methodology established a standardized 3D ECT-based in vitro testbed for chronic CCM, allowing evaluation of physiological and molecular effects on human cardiac tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tromondae K Feaster
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Jourdan K Ewoldt
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anna Avila
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Maura Casciola
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Akshay Narkar
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - Christopher S Chen
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ksenia Blinova
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, US Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
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Butler AS, Ascione R, Marrion NV, Harmer SC, Hancox JC. In situ monolayer patch clamp of acutely stimulated human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes promotes consistent electrophysiological responses to SK channel inhibition. Sci Rep 2024; 14:3185. [PMID: 38326449 PMCID: PMC10850090 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-53571-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) represent an in vitro model of cardiac function. Isolated iPSC-CMs, however, exhibit electrophysiological heterogeneity which hinders their utility in the study of certain cardiac currents. In the healthy adult heart, the current mediated by small conductance, calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels (ISK) is atrial-selective. Functional expression of ISK within atrial-like iPSC-CMs has not been explored thoroughly. The present study therefore aimed to investigate atrial-like iPSC-CMs as a model system for the study of ISK. iPSCs were differentiated using retinoic acid (RA) to produce iPSC-CMs which exhibited an atrial-like phenotype (RA-iPSC-CMs). Only 18% of isolated RA-iPSC-CMs responded to SK channel inhibition by UCL1684 and isolated iPSC-CMs exhibited substantial cell-to-cell electrophysiological heterogeneity. This variability was significantly reduced by patch clamp of RA-iPSC-CMs in situ as a monolayer (iPSC-ML). A novel method of electrical stimulation was developed to facilitate recording from iPSC-MLs via In situ Monolayer Patch clamp of Acutely Stimulated iPSC-CMs (IMPASC). Using IMPASC, > 95% of iPSC-MLs could be paced at a 1 Hz. In contrast to isolated RA-iPSC-CMs, 100% of RA-iPSC-MLs responded to UCL1684, with APD50 being prolonged by 16.0 ± 2.0 ms (p < 0.0001; n = 12). These data demonstrate that in conjunction with IMPASC, RA-iPSC-MLs represent an improved model for the study of ISK. IMPASC may be of wider value in the study of other ion channels that are inconsistently expressed in isolated iPSC-CMs and in pharmacological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Butler
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Raimondo Ascione
- Bristol Heart Institute and Translational Biomedical Research Centre, Faculty of Health Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS2 8HW, UK
| | - Neil V Marrion
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK
| | - Stephen C Harmer
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
| | - Jules C Hancox
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TD, UK.
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Shyam R, Palaniappan A. Development and optimization of starch-based biomaterial inks and the effect of infill patterns on the mechanical, physicochemical, and biological properties of 3D printed scaffolds for tissue engineering. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 258:128986. [PMID: 38154358 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128986] [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: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/26/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Plant-based hydrogels have wide application as scaffolds in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to their low cost and excellent biocompatibility. Scaffolds act as vehicles for cell-based therapeutics and regenerating diseased tissue. While there is a plethora of methods to generate hydrogels with tunable properties to mimic the tissue of interest, 3D bioprinting is a novel emerging technology with the capability to generate versatile patient-specific scaffolds typically embedded with tissue specific cells. Starch-based hydrogels are garnering attention in extrusion-based 3D printing, however owing to their poor mechanical strength and degradation render this material inefficient in its native form. Additionally, the effect of various printing process parameters on mechanical strength and bioactivity is poorly understood. In the present study, we investigate the use of starch and gelatin as composite biomaterial ink and its effect on mechanical, physical and biological properties. We also investigated printability of composite hydrogels with the aim to understand the correlation between two infill patterns and its effect on mechanical, physicochemical, and biological properties. Our results showed that the composite hydrogels had competent mechanical properties and suitable bioactivity when seeded with H9C2 cardiomyocytes. Rheometric analyses provided a broader insight into the required viscosity for printing and has a direct correlation with the composition of the hydrogel. Thus, the composite materials are found to have tissue-specific mechanical properties and may serve as a better, cheaper and personalized alternative to existing scaffolds for the fabrication of engineered cardiac tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rohin Shyam
- School of Bio Sciences and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India; Human Organ Manufacturing Engineering (HOME) Lab, Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular and Molecular Theranostics, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India
| | - Arunkumar Palaniappan
- Human Organ Manufacturing Engineering (HOME) Lab, Centre for Biomaterials, Cellular and Molecular Theranostics, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India.
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Vuorenpää H, Björninen M, Välimäki H, Ahola A, Kroon M, Honkamäki L, Koivumäki JT, Pekkanen-Mattila M. Building blocks of microphysiological system to model physiology and pathophysiology of human heart. Front Physiol 2023; 14:1213959. [PMID: 37485060 PMCID: PMC10358860 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2023.1213959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Microphysiological systems (MPS) are drawing increasing interest from academia and from biomedical industry due to their improved capability to capture human physiology. MPS offer an advanced in vitro platform that can be used to study human organ and tissue level functions in health and in diseased states more accurately than traditional single cell cultures or even animal models. Key features in MPS include microenvironmental control and monitoring as well as high biological complexity of the target tissue. To reach these qualities, cross-disciplinary collaboration from multiple fields of science is required to build MPS. Here, we review different areas of expertise and describe essential building blocks of heart MPS including relevant cardiac cell types, supporting matrix, mechanical stimulation, functional measurements, and computational modelling. The review presents current methods in cardiac MPS and provides insights for future MPS development with improved recapitulation of human physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Vuorenpää
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Adult Stem Cell Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Research, Development and Innovation Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Miina Björninen
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Adult Stem Cell Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Research, Development and Innovation Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Hannu Välimäki
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Micro- and Nanosystems Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Antti Ahola
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Computational Biophysics and Imaging Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mart Kroon
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Laura Honkamäki
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Neuro Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jussi T. Koivumäki
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Computational Biophysics and Imaging Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Mari Pekkanen-Mattila
- Centre of Excellence in Body-on-Chip Research (CoEBoC), BioMediTech, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Heart Group, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
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Van de Sande D, Ghasemi M, Watters T, Burton F, Pham L, Altrocchi C, Gallacher DJ, Lu H, Smith G. Does Enhanced Structural Maturity of hiPSC-Cardiomyocytes Better for the Detection of Drug-Induced Cardiotoxicity? Biomolecules 2023; 13:676. [PMID: 37189424 PMCID: PMC10135569 DOI: 10.3390/biom13040676] [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: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) are currently used following the Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmic Assay (CiPA) initiative and subsequent recommendations in the International Council for Harmonization (ICH) guidelines S7B and E14 Q&A, to detect drug-induced cardiotoxicity. Monocultures of hiPSC-CMs are immature compared to adult ventricular cardiomyocytes and might lack the native heterogeneous nature. We investigated whether hiPSC-CMs, treated to enhance structural maturity, are superior in detecting drug-induced changes in electrophysiology and contraction. This was achieved by comparing hiPSC-CMs cultured in 2D monolayers on the current standard (fibronectin matrix, FM), to monolayers on a coating known to promote structural maturity (CELLvo™ Matrix Plus, MM). Functional assessment of electrophysiology and contractility was made using a high-throughput screening approach involving the use of both voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes for electrophysiology and video technology for contractility. Using 11 reference drugs, the response of the monolayer of hiPSC-CMs was comparable in the two experimental settings (FM and MM). The data showed no functionally relevant differences in electrophysiology between hiPSC-CMs in standard FM and MM, while contractility read-outs indicated an altered amplitude of contraction but not changes in time course. RNA profiling for cardiac proteins shows similarity of the RNA expression across the two forms of 2D culture, suggesting that cell-to-matrix adhesion differences may explain account for differences in contraction amplitude. The results support the view that hiPSC-CMs in both 2D monolayer FM and MM that promote structural maturity are equally effective in detecting drug-induced electrophysiological effects in functional safety studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Van de Sande
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Nonclinical Safety, Janssen Pharmaceutical NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Mohammadreza Ghasemi
- School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 126 University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
- Clyde Biosciences Limited, BioCity Scotland, Lanarkshire ML1 5UH, Scotland, UK
| | - Taylor Watters
- School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 126 University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
- Clyde Biosciences Limited, BioCity Scotland, Lanarkshire ML1 5UH, Scotland, UK
| | - Francis Burton
- School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 126 University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
- Clyde Biosciences Limited, BioCity Scotland, Lanarkshire ML1 5UH, Scotland, UK
| | - Ly Pham
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Nonclinical Safety, Janssen Pharmaceutical NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Cristina Altrocchi
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Nonclinical Safety, Janssen Pharmaceutical NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - David J. Gallacher
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Nonclinical Safety, Janssen Pharmaceutical NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Huarong Lu
- Global Safety Pharmacology, Nonclinical Safety, Janssen Pharmaceutical NV, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Godfrey Smith
- School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 126 University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK
- Clyde Biosciences Limited, BioCity Scotland, Lanarkshire ML1 5UH, Scotland, UK
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Feaster TK, Feric N, Pallotta I, Narkar A, Casciola M, Graziano MP, Aschar-Sobbi R, Blinova K. Acute effects of cardiac contractility modulation stimulation in conventional 2D and 3D human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte models. Front Physiol 2022; 13:1023563. [PMID: 36439258 PMCID: PMC9686332 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1023563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac contractility modulation (CCM) is a medical device therapy whereby non-excitatory electrical stimulations are delivered to the myocardium during the absolute refractory period to enhance cardiac function. We previously evaluated the effects of the standard CCM pulse parameters in isolated rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes and 2D human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) monolayers, on flexible substrate. In the present study, we sought to extend these results to human 3D microphysiological systems to develop a robust model to evaluate various clinical CCM pulse parameters in vitro. HiPSC-CMs were studied in conventional 2D monolayer format, on stiff substrate (i.e., glass), and as 3D human engineered cardiac tissues (ECTs). Cardiac contractile properties were evaluated by video (i.e., pixel) and force-based analysis. CCM pulses were assessed at varying electrical ‘doses’ using a commercial pulse generator. A robust CCM contractile response was observed for 3D ECTs. Under comparable conditions, conventional 2D monolayer hiPSC-CMs, on stiff substrate, displayed no contractile response. 3D ECTs displayed enhanced contractile properties including increased contraction amplitude (i.e., force), and accelerated contraction and relaxation slopes under standard acute CCM stimulation. Moreover, 3D ECTs displayed enhanced contractility in a CCM pulse parameter-dependent manner by adjustment of CCM pulse delay, duration, amplitude, and number relative to baseline. The observed acute effects subsided when the CCM stimulation was stopped and gradually returned to baseline. These data represent the first study of CCM in 3D hiPSC-CM models and provide a nonclinical tool to assess various CCM device signals in 3D human cardiac tissues prior to in vivo animal studies. Moreover, this work provides a foundation to evaluate the effects of additional cardiac medical devices in 3D ECTs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tromondae K. Feaster
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Nicole Feric
- Valo Health Inc, Alexandria Center for Life Sciences, New York, NY, United States
| | - Isabella Pallotta
- Valo Health Inc, Alexandria Center for Life Sciences, New York, NY, United States
| | - Akshay Narkar
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Maura Casciola
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Michael P. Graziano
- Valo Health Inc, Alexandria Center for Life Sciences, New York, NY, United States
| | - Roozbeh Aschar-Sobbi
- Valo Health Inc, Alexandria Center for Life Sciences, New York, NY, United States
| | - Ksenia Blinova
- Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Ksenia Blinova,
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