From engineered heart tissue to cardiac organoid

Area of Science:

• Stem Cell Biology
• Cardiovascular Research
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) enable the generation of cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) for drug screening and disease modeling.
• Conventional 2D hPSC-CM cultures are structurally and functionally immature and lack cellular diversity, limiting their ability to simulate the native heart.
• Three-dimensional (3D) cardiac tissues, incorporating multiple cell types and extracellular matrices, offer a more physiologically relevant platform.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and compare advanced 3D models of the human heart, specifically engineered heart tissues (EHTs) and cardiac organoids.
• To highlight the unique features, applications, and limitations of these 3D cardiac models.
• To discuss their potential for improving drug screening and disease modeling.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of engineered heart tissues (EHTs) constructed via 3D cell culture and engineering technologies.
• Review of cardiac organoids formed through self-organization of differentiating cardiac lineage cells from hPSCs.
• Comparative analysis of existing literature on hEHTs and cardiac organoids.

Main Results:

• EHTs provide precise control over stimulation and real-time functional analysis.
• Cardiac organoids, while desirable in mature forms, are currently available in primitive stages.
• Both models aim to emulate the complexity of the human heart.

Conclusions:

• 3D cardiac tissue models, including EHTs and organoids, represent significant advancements over 2D cultures for studying cardiac function and disease.
• Further development is needed to achieve mature cardiac organoids.
• These models hold promise for enhanced drug discovery and personalized medicine.