Harvard’s Lab-Grown Beating Left Ventricle
September 25, 2018 | Terry Sharrer
Using a scaffold of biodegradable polyester and gelatin, which then was spun into a cone shape, Harvard engineers seeded human induced pluripotent stem cells upon the form and incubated it for 5 days. Though this only represented a left ventricle, it began to beat and continued to do so for six months. During that time, the researchers tested drugs, inserted catheters, and even induced a heart attack. Their ultimate aim is to create a four chambered “living” heart that can be transplanted. MORE
Image Credit: Harvard, Luke MacQueen and Michael Rosnach