Tissue engineering combined with the power of stem cell technology provides unprecedented opportunity to interrogate and discover human biology. The derivation of human cardiomyocytes from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has enabled the development of de novo cardiac tissues that recapitulate several characteristics of functional human myocardium. These platforms act as advanced models with which cardiac development, biomechanics, and disease pathology can be reverse engineered to glean otherwise unobtainable information that has great significance to human health. Despite this progress, tissue engineering is in its infancy, and the ability to produce cardiac tissues that mimic the function of mature adult myocardium has proven to be quite challenging. Using immature tissues for disease modeling or developing novel therapeutics poses a potential danger for generating falsely positive or negative results. To combat this risk, there has been significant effort in developing biofabrication strategies to recapitulate the complex tissue architecture of the myocardium. However, there are few platforms available that can recreate the multiscale organization of the heart, including tissue anisotropy, helical myocardial organization, and ventricular and atrial chamber geometries. To address this shortcoming, we have developed a nanopatterned cell sheet technology for fabrication of complex 3D cardiac ventricular models with controllable cellular architecture. In this approach flexible thermoresponsive nanofabricated substrates (fTNFS) were used to create sheets of organized cardiac tissue and cast them into simplified chamber geometries such as a hollow tube or cone shape. These tissues exhibited spontaneous beating and could create measurable pumping pressures. Additionally, we measured functional benefits from tissues with anisotropic cellular patterning as compared to tissues with non-biomimetic cellular arrangements. We also observed that tissues patterned with circumferential cellular alignment exhibited surprising cellular remodeling where the cells rotated almost 90 degrees in orientation from their initial circumferential pattern. Upon modeling this effect computationally using finite element analysis, we discovered large gradients of shear stress perpendicular to cellular alignment that may have motivated cellular reorganization. Together, these findings demonstrate the importance of mimicking myocardial architecture in engineered tissue models. These works provide an advanced platform for studying tissue structure-function relationships in cardiac development and disease.

This Volume of the series Cardiac and Vascular Biology offers a comprehensive and exciting, state-of-the-art work on the current options and potentials of cardiac regeneration and repair. Several techniques and approaches have been developed for heart failure repair: direct injection of cells, programming of scar tissue into functional myocardium, and tissue-engineered heart muscle support. The book introduces the rationale for these different approaches in cell-based heart regeneration and discusses the most important considerations for clinical translation. Expert authors discuss when, why, and how heart muscle can be salvaged. The book represents a valuable resource for stem cell researchers, cardiologists, bioengineers, and biomedical scientists studying cardiac function and regeneration.

Cardiac tissue engineering aims at repairing damaged heart muscle and producing human cardiac tissues for application in drug toxicity studies. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the cardiac tissue engineering strategies, including presenting and discussing the various concepts in use, research directions and applications. Essential basic information on the major components in cardiac tissue engineering, namely cell sources and biomaterials, is firstly presented to the readers, followed by a detailed description of their implementation in different strategies, broadly divided to cellular and acellular ones. In cellular approaches, the biomaterials are used to increase cell retention after implantation or as scaffolds when bioengineering the cardiac patch, in vitro. In acellular approaches, the biomaterials are used as ECM replacement for damaged cardiac ECM after MI, or, in combination with growth factors, the biomaterials assume an additional function as a depot for prolonged factor activity for the effective recruitment of repairing cells. The book also presents technological innovations aimed to improve the quality of the cardiac patches, such as bioreactor applications, stimulation patterns and prevascularization. This book could be of interest not only from an educational perspective (i.e. for graduate students), but also for researchers and medical professionals, to offer them fresh views on novel and powerful treatment strategies. We hope that the reader will find a broad spectrum of ideas and possibilities described in this book both interesting and convincing. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Heart: Structure, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Regeneration / Cell Sources for Cardiac Tissue Engineering / Biomaterials: Polymers, Scaffolds, and Basic Design Criteria / Biomaterials as Vehicles for Stem Cell Delivery and Retention in the Infarct / Bioengineering of Cardiac Patches, In Vitro / Perfusion Bioreactors and Stimulation Patterns in Cardiac Tissue Engineering / Vascularization of Cardiac Patches / Acellular Biomaterials for Cardiac Repair / Biomaterial-based Controlled Delivery of Bioactive Molecules for Myocardial Regeneration

This book highlights recent technological advances, reviews and applications in the field of cardiovascular engineering, including medical imaging, signal processing and informatics, biomechanics, as well as biomaterials. It discusses the use of biomaterials and 3D printing for tissue-engineered heart valves, and also presents a unique combination of engineering and clinical approaches to solve cardiovascular problems. This book is a valuable resource for students, lecturers and researchers in the field of biomedical engineering.

Cardiac tissue engineering aims at repairing damaged heart muscle and producing human cardiac tissues for application in drug toxicity studies. This book offers a comprehensive overview of the cardiac tissue engineering strategies, including presenting and discussing the various concepts in use, research directions and applications. Essential basic information on the major components in cardiac tissue engineering, namely cell sources and biomaterials, is firstly presented to the readers, followed by a detailed description of their implementation in different strategies, broadly divided to cellular and acellular ones. In cellular approaches, the biomaterials are used to increase cell retention after implantation or as scaffolds when bioengineering the cardiac patch, in vitro. In acellular approaches, the biomaterials are used as ECM replacement for damaged cardiac ECM after MI, or, in combination with growth factors, the biomaterials assume an additional function as a depot for prolonged factor activity for the effective recruitment of repairing cells. The book also presents technological innovations aimed to improve the quality of the cardiac patches, such as bioreactor applications, stimulation patterns and prevascularization. This book could be of interest not only from an educational perspective (i.e. for graduate students), but also for researchers and medical professionals, to offer them fresh views on novel and powerful treatment strategies. We hope that the reader will find a broad spectrum of ideas and possibilities described in this book both interesting and convincing. Table of Contents: Introduction / The Heart: Structure, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Regeneration / Cell Sources for Cardiac Tissue Engineering / Biomaterials: Polymers, Scaffolds, and Basic Design Criteria / Biomaterials as Vehicles for Stem Cell Delivery and Retention in the Infarct / Bioengineering of Cardiac Patches, In Vitro / Perfusion Bioreactors and Stimulation Patterns in Cardiac Tissue Engineering / Vascularization of Cardiac Patches / Acellular Biomaterials for Cardiac Repair / Biomaterial-based Controlled Delivery of Bioactive Molecules for Myocardial Regeneration

Written by physicians and surgeons, imaging specialists, and medical technology engineers, and edited by Dr. Evan M. Zahn of the renowned Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, this concise, focused volume covers must-know information in this new and exciting field. Covering everything from the evolution of 3D modeling in cardiac disease to the various roles of 3D modeling in cardiology to cardiac holography and 3D bioprinting, 3-Dimensional Modeling in Cardiovascular Disease is a one-stop resource for physicians, cardiologists, radiologists, and engineers who work with patients, support care providers, and perform research. - Provides history and context for the use of 3D printing in cardiology settings, discusses how to use it to plan and evaluate treatment, explains how it can be used as an education resource, and explores its effectiveness with medical interventions. - Presents specific uses for 3D modeling of the heart, examines whether it improves outcomes, and explores 3D bioprinting. - Consolidates today's available information and guidance into a single, convenient resource.

Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Methods and Protocols presents a collection of protocols on cardiac tissue engineering from pioneering and leading researchers around the globe. These include methods and protocols for cell preparation, biomaterial preparation, cell seeding, and cultivation in various systems. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Cardiac Tissue Engineering: Methods and Protocols highlights the major techniques, both experimental and computational, for the study of cardiovascular tissue engineering.