Description du projet
Les modèles cardiaques 3D ouvrent des perspectives pour le traitement des maladies cardiovasculaires
Les maladies cardiovasculaires (MCV) sont l’une des principales causes de décès et leur prévalence pourrait bien se muer en véritable épidémie. Des modèles précis sont impératifs pour le développement de nouvelles thérapies. Le projet HEART2BEAT, financé par l’UE, est consacré à la création de modèles cardiaques humains avancés. Ces modèles sont conçus pour reproduire les maladies cardiovasculaires en utilisant des microgels qui encapsulent des cellules souches pluripotentes humaines, ce qui entraîne la formation d’organoïdes cardiaques humains multicellulaires 3D auto-organisés reproduisant fidèlement la structure architecturale du cœur. Le projet utilise une technologie de pointe pour produire des tissus cardiaques en 3D qui peuvent ensuite être analysés sur une plateforme microfluidique. À terme, HEART2BEAT vise à construire un cœur humain miniature capable de pomper des fluides. Cette innovation facilitera l’évaluation des résultats cliniques dans les états sains et pathologiques.
Objectif
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the cause of the highest mortality and morbidity rates worldwide and are expected to increase in coming years, leading to epidemic proportions. Traditional experimental in vitro and animal models are not predictive enough, which hampers the emergence of novel therapies for treatment of CVD. Consequently, there is an urgent need to establish realistic human models that lead to a better understanding of CVD, providing the opportunity to identify and validate druggable targets. In Heart2Beat I will develop innovative human heart models for mimicking cardiovascular disease. I will use an innovative in-air microfluidic platform for ultra-high throughput encapsulating of human pluripotent stem cells in microgels to generate self-organised multicellular 3D human cardiac organoids that replicate the architectural design of the human heart. Furthermore, I will integrate and develop innovative technologies from the fields of human stem cell biology and engineering to create 3D (micro)-engineered heart tissues, coupled to a versatile and automated microfluidic platform, enabling assessment of multifunctional analysis (e.g. contraction, relaxation, metabolism, morphology). Finally, I will build a functional human mini-heart with the capacity to pump fluid, the main function of the human heart and then assess clinically relevant readouts in healthy and diseased conditions. These first-of-its kind advanced 3D human cardiac models and platforms are complementary to each other and form a highly innovative and comprehensive pipeline for modelling human CVD, enabling (ultra)high throughput screening and in-depth multifunctional pre-clinical analysis of healthy and diseased heart tissues. Successful implementation of Heart2Beat will provide insight into mechanisms of disease and will initiate a paradigm shift for personalised medicine and drug discovery, leading to tailor-made therapy for patients suffering from CVD.
Champ scientifique
- medical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacydrug discovery
- humanitiesartsarchitectural design
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologycells technologiesstem cells
- medical and health sciencesclinical medicinecardiologycardiovascular diseases
- medical and health scienceshealth sciencespersonalized medicine
Mots‑clés
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Thème(s)
Régime de financement
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsInstitution d’accueil
7522 NB Enschede
Pays-Bas