Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a novel method for incorporating primitive microphages—crucial immune cells—into heart-on-a-chip technology, in a potentially transformative step forward in drug testing and heart disease modeling. In a study published in Cell Stem Cell , an interdisciplinary team of scientists describe how they integrated the microphages—which were derived from human stem cells and resemble those found in the early stages of heart development—onto the platforms. These macrophages are known to have remarkable abilities in promoting vascularization and enhancing tissue stability.
Corresponding author Milica Radisic, a senior scientist in the University Health Network's Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and professor in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at U of T's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, says the approach promises to enhance the functionality and stability of engineered heart tissues. "We demonstrated here that stable vascularization of a heart tissue in vitro requires contributions from immune cells , specifically macrophages. We followed a biomimetic approach, re-establishing the key constituents of a cardiac niche," says Radisic, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering "By combining cardiomyocytes, stromal cells , endothelial cells and macrophages, we enabled appropriate cell-to-cell crosstalk such as in the native heart muscle.
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