Micro-Athlete heart-on-a-chip simulates
Researchers have developed a 'Micro-Athlete' platform using stem-cell-derived heart tissue on a chip to mimic exercise, aiming to study exertion-related
A new platform called Micro-Athlete uses reprogrammed stem cells to grow human heart tissue on a chip, stimulating it with electrical pulses to mimic exercise conditions. The model can simulate heart tissue beating at 150 beats per minute, with intensity varied from low to high and duration ranging from one to four hours.
Researchers harvest skin or blood cells from patients with a heart condition, reprogram them into stem cells, and then grow them into cardiac tissue. The current platform consists mainly of heart muscle cells. Thijs Eijsvogels said, "We can simulate sports conditions by making the heart tissue beat at a frequency of 150 beats per minute." The miniature heart model is a heart-on-a-chip that mimics the human heart.
What the research aims to uncover
The Micro-Athlete platform aims to reduce the need for animal experiments in cardiovascular disease research. Forced running or swimming in animals can put significant stress on their hearts, making results hard to interpret. The technology may help understand why extreme exertion can be harmful and identify individuals more susceptible to exertion-related heart damage. It may also support personalized training and treatment plans for patients and athletes. The research team, preparing its first publication, has identified promising avenues for using the platform to study other heart conditions and answer questions in sports cardiology.
Future development and collaboration
The human heart contains many other cell types besides muscle cells, which are not yet integrated into the model. One of the next steps for the Micro-Athlete platform is to integrate other cell types into the model. The platform was built by a team from HealthTech Nexus, a strategic partnership between Radboudumc in Nijmegen and the University of Twente. Close collaboration is considered indispensable for advancing the research. Prof. Robert Passier, a stem cell and cardiovascular disease expert at the University of Twente, is involved in the work.
Thijs Eijsvogels described the concept: "Picture a miniature heart running a marathon inside a laboratory." The technology may be applied to other heart conditions in the future. One of the next steps for the Micro-Athlete platform is to integrate other cell types into the model.
