3D Printing to Recapitulate Cardiac Tissue Development, Structure, and Function

Abstract

Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, due in large part to the low regenerative capacity of the heart. With recent advances in stem cell biology, cardiac tissue engineering with human cells has emerged as an avenue to replace lost muscle after a cardiac event and to produce in vitro, human models for drug and medical device testing. However, efforts in this realm are still limited in their ability to recapitulate the complex, microscale interactions that enable macroscale function of cardiac muscle. 3D printing is a technology that is poised to meet this challenge, as it enables precise deposition of cues that are critical for cells to connect with each other and engage with their environment. Here we present three studies that capitalize on the replicative power of 3D printing as tool to advance the functionality of engineered cardiac tissues by promoting connections between cardiomyocytes, supporting cells of the heart, and the extracellular matrix. The foundation of this work lies in our view that the generation of physiologically relevant tissue mimics requires a robust mechanistic understanding of how these systems develop in vivo, and how the vital interactions that occur between differentiating cells and their environment can be recapitulated in vitro. Doing so will enable us to address critical gaps in field of cardiac tissue engineering while advancing clinical models and therapeutics.