Open AccessAdaptable pulsatile flow generated from stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes using quantitative imaging-based signal transduction
Author(s) -
Tongcheng Qian,
Daniel A. Gil,
Emmanuel Contreras Guzman,
Benjamin D. Gastfriend,
Kelsey Tweed,
Sean P. Palecek,
Melissa C. Skala
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
lab on a chip
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.064
H-Index - 210
eISSN - 1473-0197
pISSN - 1473-0189
DOI - 10.1039/d0lc00546k
Subject(s) - pulsatile flow , induced pluripotent stem cell , shear stress , biomedical engineering , regenerative medicine , microfluidics , stem cell , signal transduction , embryonic stem cell , chemistry , neuroscience , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , nanotechnology , materials science , medicine , biochemistry , composite material , gene
Endothelial cells (EC) in vivo are continuously exposed to a mechanical microenvironment from blood flow, and fluidic shear stress plays an important role in EC behavior. New approaches to generate physiologically and pathologically relevant pulsatile flows are needed to understand EC behavior under different shear stress regimes. Here, we demonstrate an adaptable pump (Adapt-Pump) platform for generating pulsatile flows from human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac spheroids (CS) via quantitative imaging-based signal transduction. Pulsatile flows generated from the Adapt-Pump system can recapitulate unique CS contraction characteristics, accurately model responses to clinically relevant drugs, and simulate CS contraction changes in response to fluidic mechanical stimulation. We discovered that ECs differentiated under a long QT syndrome derived pathological pulsatile flow exhibit abnormal EC monolayer organization. This Adapt-Pump platform provides a powerful tool for modeling the cardiovascular system and improving our understanding of EC behavior under different mechanical microenvironments.