Engineering Cardiac Tissue for Advanced Heart‐On‐A‐Chip Platforms

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality worldwide, and current preclinical models including traditional animal models and 2D cell culture models have limitations in replicating human native heart physiology and response to drugs. Heart‐on‐a‐chip (HoC) technology offers a promising solution by combining the advantages of cardiac tissue engineering and microfluidics to create in vitro 3D cardiac models, which can mimic key aspects of human microphysiological systems and provide controllable microenvironments. Herein, recent advances in HoC technologies are introduced, including engineered cardiac microtissue construction in vitro, microfluidic chip fabrication, microenvironmental stimulation, and real‐time feedback systems. The development of cardiac tissue engineering methods is focused for 3D microtissue preparation, advanced strategies for HoC fabrication, and current applications of these platforms. Major challenges in HoC fabrication are discussed and the perspective on the potential for these platforms is provided to advance research and clinical applications.

The Biomedical Applications of Biomolecule Integrated Biosensors for Cell Monitoring

“…Zhao et al reported real-time monitoring of cellular environments using surface-engineered cells with aptamers that bind to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and contain a pair of fluorescent dyes [ 142 ]. Although this approach necessitates an additional fluorescence microscope for monitoring cellular environments, efforts to integrate these systems into sensor platforms have resulted in the development of various types of biosensors based on engineered cells and tissues [ 143 , 144 , 145 ].…”

From Organ-on-a-Chip to Human-on-a-Chip: A Review of Research Progress and Latest Applications

“…These sensors rely on electrochemical or photochemical reactions, which are difficult to replicate in animal models. 44 Within the modular OOC integration platform, the OOC platform was housed in a custom benchtop incubator that could maintain optimal temperature and carbon dioxide levels. It was equipped with biophysical sensors to detect pH, oxygen levels, and temperature, as well as electrochemical immunomonitoring for protein markers such as glutathione S-transferase, creatine kinase MB (CK-MB), and organoid morphology.…”

“…However, the diffusion process for providing oxygen and nutrients to the cardiac microtissue is limited. To improve the clinical feasibility of the tissue model, thicker tissue needs to be constructed, which would involve producing a capillary network within the tissue to deliver nutrients to the cells …”

“…In conclusion, cardiac chips have become an integral part of drug screening and cardiac disease modeling. They bridge the gap between traditional 2D methods and the real human body, making them more suitable for human cardiac biology and medical research …”

“…To improve the clinical feasibility of the tissue model, thicker tissue needs to be constructed, which would involve producing a capillary network within the tissue to deliver nutrients to the cells. 44 The current utilization of microfluidic technology has enabled the development and replication of the primary cardiovascular environment. These novel microfluidic systems have broad applications in natural organ simulation, disease modeling, drug screening, disease diagnosis, and treatment, facilitating the study of potential mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases.…”