Jay Walcott
BME PhD Proposal Presentation

Date: 2024-08-16
Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Location / Meeting Link: Emory HSRB2 N600; https://emory.zoom.us/j/95661899826

Committee Members:
Michael Davis, PhD (Advisor); Johnna Temenoff, PhD; Chunhui Xu, PhD; Holly Bauser-Heaton, MD/PhD; John Calvert, PhD


Title: Engineering Cardiac Tissues Via Co-Differentiation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of global mortality, killing more than twenty million people annually. Half the U.S. population has a form of CVD, creating a need to advance applications that promote its prevention and reduction. Engineered cardiac tissues can advance disease modeling, improve drug screening, and develop replacement tissues. However, current engineered tissues do not accurately represent the native heart, often exhibiting immature phenotypes. Although induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into multiple types of cells, allowing for the creation of complex cellular environments, iPSC differentiation protocols are typically designed for singular differentiation and monolayer culture. This approach does not accurately reflect the native development of the heart and ignores critical interactions between different cardiac cells during differentiation, resulting in underdeveloped fabricated tissues. A robust method for generating 3D multicellular tissues is needed. The objective of this project is to develop a complete bioprinting method capable of producing functional, multicellular cardiac tissues. Aim 1 will establish a robust co-differentiation protocol for stem cells into cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and cardiac fibroblasts. Aim 2 will establish a specialized differentiation bioink to support cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and cardiac fibroblasts. Aim 3 will assess the long-term viability and functionality of co-differentiated, bioprinted cardiac tissues. This project will determine whether bioprinted cardiac tissues, composed of co-differentiated iPSC-cardiac cells within a custom-tailored bioink, will exhibit long-term viability, structural integrity, and functional properties comparable to native cardiac tissue.