Malte Tiburcy1, James E Hudson1, Paul Balfanz1, Susanne Schlick1, Tim Meyer1, Mei-Ling Chang Liao1, Elif Levent1, Farah Raad1, Sebastian Zeidler1, Edgar Wingender1, Johannes Riegler1, Mouer Wang1, Joseph D Gold1, Izhak Kehat1, Erich Wettwer1, Ursula Ravens1, Pieterjan Dierickx1, Linda W van Laake1, Marie Jose Goumans1, Sara Khadjeh1, Karl Toischer1, Gerd Hasenfuss1, Larry A Couture1, Andreas Unger1, Wolfgang A Linke1, Toshiyuki Araki1, Benjamin Neel1, Gordon Keller1, Lior Gepstein1, Joseph C Wu1, Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann2. 1. From Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany (M.T., J.E.H., P.B., S.S., T.M., M.-L.C.L., E.L., F.R., S.Z., E. Wettwer, W.-H.Z.); German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Göttingen, Germany (M.T., J.E.H., P.B., S.S., T.M., M.-L.C.L., E.L., F.R., S.Z., E. Wingender, W.A.L., W.-H.Z.); Institute of Bioinformatics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany (S.Z., E. Wingender); Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (J.R., M.W., J.D.G., J.C.W.) and Department of Radiology (J.D.G., J.C.W.), Molecular Imaging Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; The Sohnis Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (I.K., L.G.); Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Technical University Dresden, Germany (E. Wettwer, U.R.); University Medical Center Utrecht and Hubrecht Institute, The Netherlands (P.D., L.W.v.L.); Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands (M.J.G.); Clinic for Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany (S.K., K.T., G.H., W.A.L.); Center for Applied Technology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA (L.A.C.); Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Institute of Physiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany (A.U., W.A.L.); New Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone (T.A., B.N.); and McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Toronto, Canada (G.K.). The current address for Dr Hudson is Laboratory for Cardiac Regeneration, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia. 2. From Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany (M.T., J.E.H., P.B., S.S., T.M., M.-L.C.L., E.L., F.R., S.Z., E. Wettwer, W.-H.Z.); German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Göttingen, Germany (M.T., J.E.H., P.B., S.S., T.M., M.-L.C.L., E.L., F.R., S.Z., E. Wingender, W.A.L., W.-H.Z.); Institute of Bioinformatics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany (S.Z., E. Wingender); Stanford Cardiovascular Institute (J.R., M.W., J.D.G., J.C.W.) and Department of Radiology (J.D.G., J.C.W.), Molecular Imaging Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA; The Sohnis Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa (I.K., L.G.); Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Technical University Dresden, Germany (E. Wettwer, U.R.); University Medical Center Utrecht and Hubrecht Institute, The Netherlands (P.D., L.W.v.L.); Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands (M.J.G.); Clinic for Cardiology and Pneumology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany (S.K., K.T., G.H., W.A.L.); Center for Applied Technology, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA (L.A.C.); Department of Cardiovascular Physiology, Institute of Physiology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany (A.U., W.A.L.); New Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center at New York University Langone (T.A., B.N.); and McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Toronto, Canada (G.K.). The current address for Dr Hudson is Laboratory for Cardiac Regeneration, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia. w.zimmermann@med.uni-goettingen.de.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Advancing structural and functional maturation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes remains a key challenge for applications in disease modeling, drug screening, and heart repair. Here, we sought to advance cardiomyocyte maturation in engineered human myocardium (EHM) toward an adult phenotype under defined conditions. METHODS: We systematically investigated cell composition, matrix, and media conditions to generate EHM from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts with organotypic functionality under serum-free conditions. We used morphological, functional, and transcriptome analyses to benchmark maturation of EHM. RESULTS: EHM demonstrated important structural and functional properties of postnatal myocardium, including: (1) rod-shaped cardiomyocytes with M bands assembled as a functional syncytium; (2) systolic twitch forces at a similar level as observed in bona fide postnatal myocardium; (3) a positive force-frequency response; (4) inotropic responses to β-adrenergic stimulation mediated via canonical β1- and β2-adrenoceptor signaling pathways; and (5) evidence for advanced molecular maturation by transcriptome profiling. EHM responded to chronic catecholamine toxicity with contractile dysfunction, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cardiomyocyte death, and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide release; all are classical hallmarks of heart failure. In addition, we demonstrate the scalability of EHM according to anticipated clinical demands for cardiac repair. CONCLUSIONS: We provide proof-of-concept for a universally applicable technology for the engineering of macroscale human myocardium for disease modeling and heart repair from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes under defined, serum-free conditions.
BACKGROUND: Advancing structural and functional maturation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes remains a key challenge for applications in disease modeling, drug screening, and heart repair. Here, we sought to advance cardiomyocyte maturation in engineered human myocardium (EHM) toward an adult phenotype under defined conditions. METHODS: We systematically investigated cell composition, matrix, and media conditions to generate EHM from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts with organotypic functionality under serum-free conditions. We used morphological, functional, and transcriptome analyses to benchmark maturation of EHM. RESULTS: EHM demonstrated important structural and functional properties of postnatal myocardium, including: (1) rod-shaped cardiomyocytes with M bands assembled as a functional syncytium; (2) systolic twitch forces at a similar level as observed in bona fide postnatal myocardium; (3) a positive force-frequency response; (4) inotropic responses to β-adrenergic stimulation mediated via canonical β1- and β2-adrenoceptor signaling pathways; and (5) evidence for advanced molecular maturation by transcriptome profiling. EHM responded to chronic catecholaminetoxicity with contractile dysfunction, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, cardiomyocyte death, and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide release; all are classical hallmarks of heart failure. In addition, we demonstrate the scalability of EHM according to anticipated clinical demands for cardiac repair. CONCLUSIONS: We provide proof-of-concept for a universally applicable technology for the engineering of macroscale human myocardium for disease modeling and heart repair from embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes under defined, serum-free conditions.
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