Summary
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a heart disease characterized by ventricular dilatation, systolic dysfunction and progressive heart failure.We have shown recently using three-dimensional (3D) micropillars that substrate microenvironment leads to biochemical changes and intracellular reorganization of the sarcomeres which mediate signaling and beating rate of cardiomyocytes. Such 3D cell cultures give better insights into cell biomechanics by embedding cells in a structure that mimics the extracellular matrix of structural proteins and other biological molecules found in real. Dr. Cyganek at the University Medicine Göttingen has established the method for the generation of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells of patients, which can efficiently differentiate into cardiomyocytes with structural and functional properties.
In the frame of the DZHK project we combine the tools available in Göttingen and in Greifswald to investigate under physiological and pharmacological conditions the biomechanical properties (e.g. cell elasticity, contractility and organization of the cytoskeleton) of patient-specific and engineered induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with cardiac impairments. In addition, molecular changes between healthy and diseased samples, expression of cardiomyocytes maturation markers is investigated. The findings will serve to better understand the basic functionality of the respective cardiac cells, the disease mechanisms and potentially, to lead to targeted therapies.
Publications
- Palankar, R., Glaubitz, M., Martens, U., Medvedev, N., von der Ehe, M., Felix, S.B., Münzenberg, M., and Delcea M. "3D Micropillars Guide the Mechanobiology of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes" (2016), Advanced Healthcare Materials, 5: 335-341
Collaborators
- Dr. Lukas Cyganek (University Medicine Göttingen, Germany) Link
- Prof. Markus Münzenberg (University of Greifswald, Germany) Link
Members
Theresa Brinker, Alena Rong