Scalable biofabrication of heart helical tissue pattern augments pumping function
Building a heart fiber by fiber: In a new Science study, researchers introduce a new manufacturing process, focused rotary jet spinning, to create 3-dimensional human heart structures with prescribed microscale polymer fiber alignment.
The pumping action of the heart comes from cardiomyocytes, the micrometer- sized muscle cells of the heart, which generate centimeter-sized mechanical contraction and pumping of 70 mL from a ventricle against a pressure of 100 mmHg.
Cardiomyocytes are organized as helical fibres that enwrap the ventricles. Orchestrated, electrically paced contraction of the helical fibers causes constriction of the heart chamber to eject blood, but also twisting (torsion). Heart failure is a consequence of inadequate pumping or the heart beating too stiff to fill. For fixing damaged hearts, regenerative medicines are quite promising, but design principles are needed to recapitulate native heart function and address the global heart failure epidemic.
Scientists have introduced a new manufacturing process, focused rotary jet spinning (FRJS), to create 3-dimensional (3D) human heart structures with prescribed microscale polymer fiber alignment.
Reference: Hearts by design (science.org)