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Researchers develop patch of cardiomyocytes for repair of damaged tissue
The technique is not quite ready for human testing.
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In a series of experiments with mouse embryonic stem cells, researchers from Duke University have succeeded in creating a patch of living cardiomyocytes that could potentially be used to help repair damaged heart tissue.
The researchers intended to mimic the process that embryonic stem cells undergo when developing into heart tissue. According to an abstract presented at the Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting in Pittsburgh, they placed and aligned the cardiomyocyte patches in porous fibrin gels and allowed two weeks for growth. After two weeks in the culture, the patches contained cross-striated myocytes. The myocytes electrically connected and supported continuous longitudinal and transverse electrical conduction (velocity of 6 cm/second longitudinal and 3 cm/second transverse) and demonstrated contractile force with amplitudes of between 500 mcN and 700 mcN.
Although promising as a proof-of-principle achievement, the researchers also acknowledged that the approach still has hurdles to clear before testing in humans becomes feasible.
“Although we were able to grow heart muscle cells that were able to contract with strength and carry electric impulses quickly, there are many other factors that need to be considered,� Nenad Bursac, PhD, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the Duke University Pratt School of Engineering in Durham, N.C., said in a press release. “The use of fibrin as a structural material allowed us to grow thicker, 3-D patches, which would be essential for the delivery of therapeutic doses of cells. One of the major challenges then would be establishing a blood vessel supply to sustain the patch.�
The researchers have plans to test the model with nonembryonic stem cells, which carries important scientific and ethical concerns for human testing. Results from recent studies, according to a press release, suggested that some cells from human adults can be reprogrammed to become similar to embryonic stem cells.
“Human cardiomyocytes tend to grow a lot slower than those of mice,� Bursac said. “Since it takes nine months for the human heart to complete development, we need to find a way to get the cells to grow faster while maintaining the same essential properties of the native cells.�
For more information:
- Liau B. #OP-10-3-1F. Presented at: Biomedical Engineering Society Meeting; Oct 7-10, 2009; Pittsburgh.