Engineering Heart Morphogenesis

Christian J Mandrycky; Nisa P Williams; Ivan Batalov; Danny El-Nachef; Bernadette S de Bakker; Jennifer Davis; Deok-Ho Kim; Cole A DeForest; Ying Zheng; Kelly R Stevens; Nathan J Sniadecki

doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.01.006

Engineering Heart Morphogenesis

Trends Biotechnol. 2020 Aug;38(8):835-845. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.01.006. Epub 2020 Mar 5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
² Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
³ Clinical Anatomy and Embryology, Department of Medical Biology, AMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
⁴ Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁵ Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Department of Medicine/Cardiology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
⁶ Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁷ Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Electronic address: nsniadec@uw.edu.

Abstract

Recent advances in stem cell biology and tissue engineering have laid the groundwork for building complex tissues in a dish. We propose that these technologies are ready for a new challenge: recapitulating cardiac morphogenesis in vitro. In development, the heart transforms from a simple linear tube to a four-chambered organ through a complex process called looping. Here, we re-examine heart tube looping through the lens of an engineer and argue that the linear heart tube is an advantageous starting point for tissue engineering. We summarize the structures, signaling pathways, and stresses in the looping heart, and evaluate approaches that could be used to build a linear heart tube and guide it through the process of looping.

Keywords: biomaterials; heart tube looping; mechanobiology; organogenesis; stem cells; tissue engineering.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Heart / growth & development*
Heart / physiopathology
Humans
Morphogenesis / genetics*
Organogenesis / genetics
Signal Transduction / genetics
Stem Cell Research
Stem Cell Transplantation*
Stem Cells / cytology
Tissue Engineering*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding