Israeli researchers unveil revolutionary heart on a microchip
The team from Israel's Hebrew University of Jerusalem describe the breakthrough as a 'multi-chambered self-paced vascularized human cardiac organoids'
Israeli researchers unveiled a miniature human heart model, built on a microchip. The technology has the potential to revolutionize cardiovascular research and offer alternatives to animal testing, according to their paper published in Nature Biomedical Engineering.
No bigger than a grain of rice, the researchers described it as “multi-chambered self-paced vascularized human cardiac organoids formed under anisotropic stress,” in other words, a mini organ-on-a-chip that mimics the human heart.
The Israeli team was led by Yaakov Nahmias, Professor of Bioengineering at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and first author Mohammad Ghosheh, as well as colleagues from Tissue Dynamics Ltd., and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.
This model replica of the heart was developed using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), designed to meticulously mimic its structure and functions, with several chambers, pacemaker clusters, an epicardial membrane and an endocardial lining.
The organ-on-a-chip can also provide real-time measurements of oxygen consumption, extracellular field potential and cardiac contraction, which would enable scientists to gain unprecedented insights into heart function and disease. In particular, the heart model already identified a new form of cardiac arrhythmia distinct from those observed in traditional animal models.
The development has far-reaching potential, such as in the pharmaceutical industry, where it would enable researchers to gain invaluable insights into the precise effects of pharmaceutical compounds on the human heart, without animal testing. For example, the response to the chemotherapeutic drug mitoxantrone, commonly used to treat leukemia and multiple sclerosis, was tested on such a model.
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"This miniature yet sophisticated human heart model has the potential to reshape drug testing practices, advance our understanding of cardiovascular diseases, and ultimately contribute to a healthier and more sustainable future,” the Israeli team concluded in a press release.