Latest developments in engineered skeletal muscle tissues for drug discovery and development

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Advances in skeletal muscle tissue engineering have led to new platforms for biological studies, disease modeling, and drug testing.
• Current research focuses on developing more complex engineered skeletal muscle tissues.
• These human skeletal muscle tissue models are crucial for drug discovery, development, and disease modeling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the latest advancements in in vitro models of engineered skeletal muscle tissues for drug testing.
• To focus on four main cell culture techniques: well plates, microfluidics, organoids, and bioprinted constructs.
• To provide additional information on the satellite cell niche.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on engineered skeletal muscle tissue models.
• Analysis of four primary cell culture techniques: well plates, microfluidics, organoids, and bioprinted constructs.
• Inclusion of information on the satellite cell niche.

Main Results:

• Sophisticated in vitro models of skeletal muscle tissues have been developed.
• Significant progress has been made in stem cell research and human skeletal muscle tissue engineering.
• Platforms utilizing hypertrophy/atrophy and myotube contractility are being used for drug testing.

Conclusions:

• Engineered skeletal muscle tissue models are powerful tools for drug discovery and disease modeling.
• Further developments are anticipated with multicellular types and multi-material matrices.
• Increased validation and utilization of these models in drug testing are expected.