Researchers create ‘miniature hearts’ from murine ES cells
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Scientists said they used murine embryonic stem (ES) cells to create “miniature hearts” that could eventually be used to test new drugs and treatments.
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The team, primarily from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, said the hearts are about 1 millimeter in diameter but possess atrium- and ventricle-like parts and even pulsate.
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The findings were published in the British scientific journal Nature Communications on Sept. 3.
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ES cells are generated from fertilized eggs and can become various tissues and organs.
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Many studies in Japan and abroad have tried to cultivate the cells to produce small organs. But the heart has been particularly difficult to produce because of its complicated structure.
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The team added proteins–one that encourages growth and another that bonds cells together to create a three-dimensional structure–to ES cells for cultivation for 10 to 15 days to create the miniature hearts.
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To enlarge organs produced through regenerative medicine, nutrients must be added for cultivation. But the procedure is technologically difficult and the results are not suitable for transplants.
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For now, the miniature organs may be used to see their reactions to newly developed drugs and to understand clinical conditions.
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“In the drug discovery business, it is possible that (drug) toxicities to the heart can be detected earlier and more accurately,” said Fumitoshi Ishino, a team member and developmental biology professor at the university.
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The team said it is studying how to use the latest method to create miniature hearts from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells.
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