Advanced technologies for cardiac tissue engineering

Tissue engineering and cell-based therapies have been recently proposed as promising cure of diseases related to myocardium infarction. Aim of this thesis was to provide methods for rational approach the research in this field. We developed advanced systems for stem cell (SC) culture and differentiation. In particular, we focused on human stem cell, such as fetal amniotic or embryonic. To obtain biomimetic contractile tissue, these technologies have been applied to 2D and 3D cell cultures, studying in depth the parameters which influence significant biophysical stimulations, such as the electrical one. A quantitative evaluation of cardiac functionality was then performed at the cellular level, with a mathematical model, or at the tissue level, with high sensitive sensors and imaging analysis. These results seem promising for the development of high-throughput technologies for preclinical in vitro screening of cardiac drugs or for the definition of clinical method for cardiac regeneration.