They create an organoid with multiple cavities that reflect the structure of the heart.

2023/12/04 Etxebeste Aduriz, Egoitz - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Bioteknologia

At the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA), Austria, a multifocal organoid has been created that reflects the structure of the heart. According to the article published in the journal Cell, this organoid will allow the investigation of diseases, facilitate the development of new drugs, toxicological investigations and a better understanding of the development of the heart.

In 2021, IMBA created a first simpler model of heart, with induced pluripotent human stem cells. These cardioids were the model of the left ventricle in the first days of embryogenesis. Since then, the organoids of each cardiac structure have been formed. And when they all gather together, they see that there's coordination between structures: an electrical signal that spreads from the atrium to the left and right ventricular chambers, as happens with the development of the fetal heart.