Developing electroactive 3D-printed multifunctional scaffolds for the generation of multicellular, vascularized, mature cardiac tissues

• Applicant: Dr. Arnaud Kamdem Tamo
• Subject Area: Biological Process Engineering ; Biomaterials ; Polymer Materials
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 556490198

Cardiovascular diseases represent a significant global health issue, ranking among the leading causes of death worldwide. Among these, myocardial infarction is particularly devastating, resulting in irreversible necrosis of cardiac muscle tissue. Following a myocardial infarction, the loss of cardiomyocytes initiates ventricular remodeling, progressively replacing functional myocardial tissue with disordered fibrotic tissue. Tissue engineering presents an innovative approach for myocardial repair, aiming to develop engineered cardiac patches that provide biomechanical and functional support for cell growth and proliferation, as well as an electrically conductive and vascularized microenvironment crucial for proper cardiac cell functioning. The project involves formulating novel chitosan-based electroconductive composites strengthened with carbon nanofibers, which will provide excellent mechanical properties and high electrical conductivity to 3D-engineered constructs. These constructs will be enriched with fibrin and Matrigel to improve scaffold biological functionality. Our goal is to develop electroactive 3D-printed multifunctional constructs for the generation of multicellular, vascularized, mature cardiac tissues. Specifically, we will focus on assessing cardiomyocyte viability in co-culture with fibroblasts and endothelial cells in 3D electroconductive constructs and evaluating vascularization through the analysis of blood vessel formation in these multicellular 3D-printed electroconductive constructs. Additionally, we will evaluate the effect of different electrical stimulation parameters (frequency, voltage, current, amplitude, and duration) on cardiac cell functionality and assess the contractile properties of cardiomyocytes in these multicellular 3D-printed constructs under electrical stimulation. Furthermore, we will evaluate indicators of cardiac tissue maturation, such as structural organization, cell alignment, calcium handling, and gap junction formation, in 3D-engineered cardiac tissues.

• DFG Programme: WBP Position