Bioengineering heart tissue for in vitro testing

• Functional human tissues can be grown using cells, scaffolds and bioreactors.
• In vitro and in vivo, cells interact with their entire environment.
• Designs of biomimetic systems are guided by biological principles.
• Microphysiological platforms allow preclinical testing of drugs.
• We discuss the design of engineered microtissues for drug screening.

A classical paradigm of tissue engineering is to grow tissues for implantation by using human stem cells in conjunction with biomaterial scaffolds (templates for tissue formation) and bioreactors (culture systems providing environmental control). A reverse paradigm is now emerging through microphysiological platforms for preclinical testing of drugs and modeling of disease that contain large numbers of very small human tissues. We discuss the biomimetic approach as a common underlying principle and some of the specifics related to the design and utilization of platforms with heart micro-tissues for high-throughput screening in vitro.

Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (152 K)Download as PowerPoint slide