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Updated: Jul 21, 2025
Fabrication of 3D Cardiac Microtissue Arrays using Human iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes, Cardiac Fibroblasts, and Endothelial Cells
Published on: March 14, 2021
Cardiac Organoids: A 3D Technology for Disease Modeling and Drug Screening
Yuxin Zhu1, Sheng Yang1, Tianyi Zhang1
1Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210009, P.R. China.
Insights
Human cardiac organoids (HCOs) offer advanced 3D models for studying heart development and diseases. These organoids provide a more accurate in vitro system for personalized medicine and preclinical drug testing.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Stem Cell Biology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases are a leading global cause of mortality.
- There is a growing need for advanced in vitro models for personalized healthcare and preclinical testing.
- Human cardiac organoids (HCOs) represent a significant advancement in cardiac research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the methods for constructing human cardiac organoids (HCOs).
- To explore the applications of HCOs in cardiovascular disease modeling and drug screening.
- To discuss the future prospects and limitations of HCOs in biomedical research.
Main Methods:
- Derivation of HCOs from pluripotent stem cells.
- 3D cellular construct development mimicking in vivo organ structure and function.
- Utilizing HCOs for studying cardiac development and disease pathology.
Main Results:
- HCOs replicate the structure, function, and biogenetic information of primitive cardiac tissues.
- High-fidelity HCOs offer a more accurate representation of human myocardial tissue compared to traditional models.
- HCOs show significant potential for disease modeling and drug screening.
Conclusions:
- HCOs are innovative and practical tools in the biomedical field.
- Further research into HCOs will enhance their utility in cardiovascular research and personalized medicine.
- HCOs represent a promising frontier in understanding and treating cardiovascular diseases.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide; therefore, there is increasing attention to developing physiological-related in vitro cardiovascular tissue models suitable for personalized healthcare and preclinical test. Recently, more complex and powerful in vitro models have emerged for cardiac research. Human cardiac organoids (HCOs) are three-dimensional (3D) cellular constructs similar to in vivo organs. They are derived from pluripotent stem cells and can replicate the structure, function, and biogenetic information of primitive tissues. High-fidelity HCOs are closer to natural human myocardial tissue than animal and cell models to some extent, which helps to study better the development process of the heart and the occurrence of related diseases. In this review, we introduce the methods for constructing HCOs and the application of them, especially in cardiovascular disease modeling and cardiac drug screening. In addition, we propose the prospects and limitations of HCOs. In summary, we have introduced the research progress of HCOs and described their innovation and practicality of them in the biomedical field.
