Cited 18 times since 2016 (2.2 per year) source: EuropePMC Advanced healthcare materials, Volume 6, Issue 3, 1 1 2016 Modeling the Human Scarred Heart In Vitro: Toward New Tissue Engineered Models. Deddens JC, Sadeghi AH, Hjortnaes J, van Laake LW, Buijsrogge M, Doevendans PA, Khademhosseini A, Sluijter JP
Cardiac remodeling is critical for effective tissue healing, however, excessive production and deposition of extracellular matrix components contribute to scarring and failing of the heart. Despite the fact that novel therapies have emerged, there are still no lifelong solutions for this problem. An urgent need exists to improve the understanding of adverse cardiac remodeling in order to develop new therapeutic interventions that will prevent, reverse, or regenerate the fibrotic changes in the failing heart. With recent advances in both disease biology and cardiac tissue engineering, the translation of fundamental laboratory research toward the treatment of chronic heart failure patients becomes a more realistic option. Here, the current understanding of cardiac fibrosis and the great potential of tissue engineering are presented. Approaches using hydrogel-based tissue engineered heart constructs are discussed to contemplate key challenges for modeling tissue engineered cardiac fibrosis and to provide a future outlook for preclinical and clinical applications.
