Investigating neuro-cardiac communication in a human innervated and vascularized heart muscle model
Cardiac autonomic neurons control cardiac contractility. Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system can lead to sympathetic overdrive resulting in heart failure and an increased incidence of fatal arrhythmias. Here, we introduce innervated engineered human myocardium (iEHM), a novel model of neuro-cardiac junctions, constructed by fusion of a bioengineered neural organoid (BENO) patterned to autonomic nervous system and engineered human myocardium (EHM). Projections of sympathetic neurons into engineered human myocardium formed presynaptic terminals in close proximity to cardiomyocytes and an extensive vascular network co-developing in the tissues. Contractile responses to optogenetic stimulation of the accordingly engineered neuronal component demonstrated functionality of neuro-cardiac junctions in iEHM. This model serves currently as a human surrogate system to delineate neuron and cardiac cell contribution to brain and heart diseases as sudden cardiac death in epilepsy and progression to heart failure.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Zafeiriou is a Group leader at the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Goettingen. She completed her PhD degree at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. Her lab investigates three-dimensional electrically excitable cell networks generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells. With a special focus in brain and heart, they aim to understand how genetic alterations lead to network imbalance. Employing human tissue engineering, genome editing and induced pluripotent stem cell technologies they aim to uncover the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying infantile epilepsies and their connection to sudden cardiac death.
Date:
31 March 2025, 16:00
Venue:
Sherrington Library, off Parks Road OX1 3PT
Venue Details:
Sherrington Building
Speaker:
Maria Patapia Zafeiriou, PhD (University Medical Center Göttingen)
Organising department:
Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG)
Organiser contact email address:
events@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Host:
Professor David Paterson (DPAG, University of Oxford)
Part of:
Cardiac Sciences Theme Guest Speakers
Booking required?:
Not required
Audience:
Members of the University only
Editor:
Hannah Simm
