Student Chonnam National University, Republic of Korea
Abstract: Research on three-dimensional (3D) cardiac models utilizing cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is advancing rapidly, enhancing our understanding of heart development, disease mechanisms, and drug responses. While in vitro models can provide valuable insights, they lack to replicate the complexity of the cardiac microenvironment, particularly regarding the roles of immune cells. In this study, we present a novel 3D cardiac spheroid model that incorporates hiPSCs-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs), endothelial cells (ECs), cardiac fibroblasts (CFs), and macrophages (Mφ). The successful differentiation and spatial integration of heart-consisting cell types were confirmed through immunofluorescence analysis. Furthermore, this study suggests a macrophage-integrated 3D cardiac spheroid as a next-generation model for investigating cardiac diseases with immune involvement. By bridging the gap between cardiac physiology and immunology, this system could provide a more physiologically relevant platform for disease modeling, precision medicine, and drug discovery. Future work will focus on optimizing immune-cardiac interactions and scaling the model for high-throughput screening applications.
Funding Source: This research was supported by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program of the National Research Foundation (NRF)& funded by the Korean government (MSIT) (No. RS-2023-00261905, 2022M3A9E4017151).
