Technical University of Munich (TUM) researchers have created stem cells that mimic how the human heart develops.
An organoid—a kind of "mini-heart"—is the outcome. It will make it possible to investigate the first stages of our hearts' formation and advance the study of ailments.
The group led by Professor of Regenerative Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease Alessandra Moretti has created a technique for creating a kind of "mini-heart" out of pluripotent stem cells. In a centrifuge, about 35,000 cells are spun into a sphere. A predetermined process is followed while adding various signalling molecules to the cell culture over a period of several weeks. Alessandra Moretti adds, "In this approach, we imitate the signalling mechanisms in the body that regulate the developmental programme for the heart. Now, the team has published its research in the magazine Nature Biotechnology.
