Heart Tissue

Using a polymer developed in Robert Langer’s lab at MIT, George Engelmayr headed a research group that has engineered an artificial scaffolding for growing heart tissue.  Like normal heart tissue, cells align on the scaffold in a way that makes them stiffer in one direction, and more flexible in another-to accommodate the organ’s pumping.  Conceivably, this approach could be used to grow tissue for damaged hearts, but also for testing heart drugs.  MORE

Image Credit:  George Engelmayr and Technology Review