Biofabrication of heart substitute tissues based on bioinks from spider silk proteins (C01)

• Subject Area: Biomaterials
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 326998133

The prevalence of heart failure is increasing and it is clear that animal model-based data are often not transferable to clinical practice. The project aims at the biofabrication of heart tissues from hiPSC-derived heart cells and recombinant spider silk proteins. Spider silk/collagen-I hydrogels enable optimal hiPSC-CM function in 3D and prevents at the same time fibroblast-mediated compaction. Further, we 3D-printed a functional human heart ventricle model. In addition, important results regarding vascularization were achieved.

• DFG Programme: CRC/Transregios
• Subproject of: TRR 225: From the Fundamentals of Biofabrication towards Functional Tissue Models
• Applicant Institution: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Felix B. Engel; Professor Dr. Thomas Scheibel