A Tissue Engineering Chamber for Continuous Pulsatile Electrical Stimulation of Vascularized Cardiac Tissues In Vivo

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Biology
• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are immature and challenging to mature in vitro.
• In vivo environments offer complex cues for tissue development that are difficult to replicate.
• Developing methods for controlled in vivo maturation of engineered cardiac tissues is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and test a novel tissue engineering chamber for in vivo electrical stimulation of engineered cardiac tissue.
• To assess the survival, integration, and vascularization of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) under electrical stimulation in vivo.
• To demonstrate the biocompatibility of the device for long-term implantation.

Main Methods:

• Engineered cardiac tissue from hiPSC-CMs was cultured within a novel chamber containing an integrated electrical stimulator and electrodes.
• The chamber was implanted into immunocompromised rats, with control chambers lacking electrodes.
• Electrical stimulation was applied for 4 hours daily over 21 days, with analysis at 4 weeks post-implantation.

Main Results:

• hiPSC-CMs survived and formed compact cardiac tissue within the engineered chamber after 4 weeks.
• The engineered cardiac tissue became vascularized by host neovessels.
• The tissue engineering chamber demonstrated biocompatibility and facilitated host tissue integration.

Conclusions:

• The novel tissue engineering chamber enables in vivo electrical stimulation and supports the maturation of engineered cardiac tissue.
• This technology provides a platform for studying the effects of electrical stimulation on vascularized cardiac and other tissues in vivo.
• The findings support the potential of this system for regenerative medicine applications.