Living heart pump on a chip through high precision manufacturing
2022
Boston University, Boston, USA
On-chip biomimetic tissue models are a powerful tool for the study of human physiology and the development of therapeutics, but they have not yet been used to image highly ordered functional structures. In this study, the researchers present the high-precision fabrication of a downscaled model of the mechanical function of the heart at the organ level. A laser-manufactured metamaterial scaffold with finely tuned mechanical properties was used to support the formation and cyclic contraction of a miniaturized induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac chamber. In addition, microfluidic valves with extreme sensitivity were fabricated to equalize the flow generated by the cardiac chamber. The integrated microfluidic system recapitulated ventricular fluid function and exhibited a complete pressure-volume loop with isovolumetric phases. Taken together, the results demonstrated high-precision fabrication that can be generalized to extend the accessible range of organ-on-a-chip models to structurally and biomechanically challenging tissue systems.
Engineering a living cardiac pump on a chip using high-precision fabrication
Christopher S. Chen, Alice E. White
Added on: 07-08-2022
[1] https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abm3791[2] https://www.pcrm.org/news/ethical-science/miniature-model-beating-human-heart?emci=a793b86d-b8ed-ec11-b47a-281878b83d8a&emdi=e7d3fdde-e8ef-ec11-b47a-281878b83d8a&ceid=2015591
