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The Case for, and Challenges of, Human Cardiac Tissue in Advancing Phosphoprotein Research
Amanda W Huang1, Paul M L Janssen1
1Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States.
Insights
Human cardiac tissue offers unique insights into cardiovascular disease (CVD) mechanisms, but challenges exist. This review explores using human tissues for CVD research, focusing on phosphoprotein studies for better translational science.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Science
- Translational Research
- Biomedical Research
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and stroke are leading causes of death in the US.
- Animal models have advanced CVD understanding but often fail to translate to human conditions due to species differences.
- Limitations in animal models necessitate exploring alternative research tools for human cardiovascular physiology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the advantages and disadvantages of using human cardiac tissue in cardiovascular disease research.
- To discuss considerations for utilizing human cardiac tissue, particularly in phosphoprotein studies.
- To highlight the growing importance of human tissue research in translational science.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on human cardiac tissue use in cardiovascular research.
- Analysis of challenges associated with human cardiac tissue procurement and interpretation.
- Focus on specific applications, such as the study of phosphoproteins.
Main Results:
- Human cardiac tissue provides a more accurate model for human cardiovascular physiology compared to animal models.
- Challenges in human tissue research include variability in acquisition, procurement protocols, and defining control samples.
- Despite challenges, human tissue research is crucial for advancing translational cardiovascular science.
Conclusions:
- Human cardiac tissue is invaluable for understanding human CVD pathophysiology.
- Addressing the challenges in human tissue research is essential for improving drug discovery and development.
- Further research utilizing human cardiac tissue, especially for phosphoprotein analysis, will enhance our understanding and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke affect over 92 million Americans and account for nearly 1 out of 3 deaths in the US. The use of animal models in cardiovascular research has led to considerable advances in treatment and in our understanding of the pathophysiology of many CVDs. Still, animals may not fully recapitulate human disease states; species differences have long been postulated to be one of the main reasons for a failure of translation between animals and humans in drug discovery and development. Indeed, it has become increasingly clear over the past few decades that to answer certain biomedical questions, like the physiological mechanisms that go awry in many human CVDs, animal tissues may not always be the best option to use. While human cardiac tissue has long been used for laboratory research, published findings often contradict each other, leading to difficulties in interpretation. Current difficulties in utilizing human cardiac tissue include differences in acquisition time, varying tissue procurement protocols, and the struggle to define a human "control" sample. With the tremendous emphasis on translational research that continues to grow, research studies using human tissues are becoming more common. This mini review will discuss advantages, disadvantages, and considerations of using human cardiac tissue in the study of CVDs, paying specific attention to the study of phosphoproteins.
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