Cardiovascular diseases are the number one cause of death worldwide. UT researchers Prof Dr Robert Passier, Prof Dr Jeroen Leijten, and partners receive seven million euros for two grants to further develop miniature hearts that can be used for studying heart diseases and testing drugs.
For the NWO XL grant of three million euros, Passier and his partners Dr Janine Post, Dr Jeroen Leijten (both UT) and Prof Dr Gert Jan Veenstra (Radboud University) will develop a screening platform of miniature human hearts for studying heart disease and testing drugs using advanced microfluidic droplet technology. The EIC-Pathfinder Challenge of four million euros will be led by Leijten, Passier, and River Biomedics (Spin-off company of UT) as a consortium with NanoScale Systems and University of Malaga. This consortium will develop a pumping human – mini-heart and swimming human Bio-Robot.
NWO XL
Current animal and cell culture models are not accurate enough to predict the efficacy and toxicity of drugs. In this research project, titled ‘HeartEngine - Advanced bioengineering strategy for production of human miniature hearts’, Passier, Post, Leijten and Veenstra will encapsulate human stem cells in hollow miniature spheres made from hydrogel and use single-cell OMICs analysis to make digital twins of the miniature hearts. “We aim to create 100,000 hollow microgels per second. Each microgel is filled with human stem cells that can differentiate into miniature hearts”, says Passier. This results in an ultra-high-throughput screening platform. Passier: “We can rapidly study heart disease and test drugs with this platform.” “The digital twins generated in this project allow us to investigate both heart development as well as predict the heart's response to medication,” explains Post.
EIC-Pathfinder Challenge
Flat cell cultures of heart tissue are not capable of producing a pumping motion, which is the main function of the heart. In the research project ‘Engineering a living human Mini-heart and a swimming Bio-robot’, Leijten, Passier, and partners will develop a pumping mini-heart and swimming human bio-robot. “We’re working on a real miniature heart with a beating chamber. It will be able to eject fluid and enables us to study the pumping function of the heart”, explains Passier. "Excitingly, this project allows us to combine cutting-edge stem cell protocols with advanced biofabrication technologies such as an innovative casting technique and next-generation 3D bioprinting to create truly functional living matter” expands Leijten.
