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Fabrication of 3D Cardiac Microtissue Arrays using Human iPSC-Derived Cardiomyocytes, Cardiac Fibroblasts, and Endothelial Cells
Published on: March 14, 2021
Patient-Derived 3D Heart-On-a-Chip Model of Dilated Cardiomyopathy With Embedded Bead-Based Mapping of Tissue
Ali Mousavi1,2,3,4,5, Ludovic Mouttet4,5, Shihao Cui2
1Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Université De Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
|July 25, 2026
Summary
This study presents a novel heart-on-a-chip model using patient-derived stem cells to accurately replicate dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and its functional deficits, paving the way for personalized disease modeling.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Biomedical Engineering
- Stem Cell Technology
Background:
- Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a major cause of heart failure and transplantation.
- Current disease models lack the complexity to fully represent human heart function.
- Heart-on-a-chip (HOC) platforms offer advanced capabilities for studying cardiac diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a functional HOC model using patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs).
- To investigate structural and functional abnormalities in DCM using this HOC platform.
- To validate the HOC system for disease modeling and drug response assessment.
Main Methods:
- Reprogramming patient blood samples into hiPSCs.
- Differentiating hiPSCs into cardiomyocytes and co-culturing with cardiac fibroblasts.
- Encapsulating cells in hydrogel within a two-chambered HOC device with flexible pillars.
- Assessing tissue structure via immunofluorescence and function through calcium transients and beating patterns.
Main Results:
- Developed beating engineered heart tissues from healthy and DCM hiPSCs.
- Identified structural abnormalities in DCM tissues, including reduced cell alignment.
- Observed arrhythmia-like behavior and functional deficits in DCM tissues.
- Demonstrated platform responsiveness to norepinephrine challenge.
Conclusions:
- The developed HOC model effectively recapitulates DCM structural and functional characteristics.
- This patient-specific HOC platform shows significant potential for disease modeling.
- The system is suitable for future personalized investigations and drug screening in DCM.
