Model of the developing heart
November 2023
Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, Austria
In this study, a human cardioid platform was established, that recapitulates the development of all major embryonic heart compartments. The multi-chambered cadioids were developed from human iPSCs. Within them, an electrical signal spreads from the atrium to the left and then the right ventricular chambers, resulting in a coordinated contraction. Contraction patterns and regional gene expression within the cardioids were investigated. Mutations were integrated to demonstrate their influence on the cardioid development, and the cardioids were challenged with drugs including thalidomide.
The developed cardioids exhibit compartment-specific in vivo-like gene expression profiles, morphologies, and functions. The platform was used to investigate signal and contraction propagation between interacting heart chambers and to dissect how mutations, teratogens, and drugs cause compartment-specific defects in the developing human heart. The cardioids will give insight into early heart development, congenital heart diseases and allow for high throughput screening of toxicities and therapies.
Multi-chamber cardioids unravel human heart development and cardiac defects
Sasha Mendjan
Added on: 01-13-2024
[1] https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)01181-9
