Artificial Heart Tissue Developed in Vitro

Trials of a method to engineer blood vessels within the tissue of previously engineered heart muscle have resulted in significant improvement in the heart function of rats, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, USA) and the department of biomedical engineering at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, USA) were successful in producing blood vessels within heart muscle tissue. Three-dimensional cardiac tissue, termed "cardioids,” was engineered in vitro from a monolayer of cardiac cells. The cardioids were then sutured onto a support framework and implanted in a subcutaneous pocket in recipient rats.

Three weeks after implantation, the cardioids were recovered for in vitro force testing and histologic evaluation. The results demonstrated the presence of viable cells within the explanted cardioids and the presence of vascularization. Electron micrographs revealed the presence of large amounts of aligned contractile proteins and a high degree of intercellular connectivity. The tissue-engineered construct remained viable even after the three-week implantation period, maintaining cardiac-specific function. The study was published in the November 2005 edition of the journal Artificial Organs.

"The long-term goal of cardiac tissue engineering is to generate functional cardiac muscle in vitro,” stated lead researcher, Ravi K. Birla. "Work in this area could lead to the formation of functional heart muscle that can someday help patients with acute heart failure.”



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