Using Electrical Signals to Train the Heart's Muscle Cells
Tuesday, January 19, 2016 - 12:01
in Biology & Nature
Columbia Engineering researchers have shown, for the first time, that electrical stimulation of human heart muscle cells engineered from human stem cells aids their development and function. Led by Biomedical Engineering Professor Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, they used electrical signals, designed to mimic those in a developing heart, to regulate and synchronize the beating properties of nascent cardiomyocytes, the cells that support the beating function of the heart. (Jan 19, Nature Communications)