Modeling human cardiac tissues in vitro is essential to elucidate the biological mechanisms related to the heart physiopathology, possibly paving the way for new treatments. Organs-on-chips have emerged as innovative tools able to recreate tissue-specific microenvironments, guiding the development of miniaturized models and offering the opportunity to directly analyze functional readouts. Here we describe the fabrication and operational procedures for the development of a heart-on-chip model, reproducing cardiac biomimetic microenvironment. The device provides 3D cardiac microtissue with a synchronized electromechanical stimulation to support the tissue development. We additionally describe procedures for characterizing tissue evolution and functionality through immunofluorescence, real time qPCR, calcium imaging and microtissue contractility investigations.
Keywords: Cardiac functionality; Electromechanical stimulation; Heart-on-chip.
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