Stem cells create humanlike heart valve tissue to model disease and test treatments
Melbourne researchers have created human heart valve tissues from stem cells, providing a powerful new platform to advance treatments for childhood heart diseases.
Melbourne researchers have engineered human-like heart valve tissues using stem cells, offering a promising new method for studying childhood heart conditions and testing potential treatments. Published in Cell Stem Cell, the study led by Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) provides insights into the development and deterioration of human heart valves.
Dr. Holly Voges, an MCRI researcher, explained that these lab-grown tissues closely mirror the structure of natural human valves, which could facilitate the creation of stem cell-derived valves that adapt throughout a patient's life. Heart valve disease impacts around 28 million individuals globally, often necessitating risky surgical replacements.
The researchers demonstrated that by introducing inflammatory proteins linked to rheumatic heart disease, the stem cell-derived tissues stiffened and exhibited biomarkers indicative of diseased human valves. This advance could enable more accurate modeling of heart valve diseases and accelerate the development of personalized, stem cell-based valve solutions.
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