Article Impact Level: HIGH Data Quality: STRONG Summary of Science Advances, 11(4), eadt7210. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt7210 Dr. Faheem Ershad et al.
Points
- Researchers developed a noninvasive, optoelectronically active scaffold that uses light to modulate cardiac tissue activity without wires or genetic modifications.
- Pulsed light stimulation increased cardiomyocyte beating rates by over 40% while maintaining cell viability above 96% and causing no significant ECG changes.
- Tests in rats confirmed that the scaffold could accelerate heartbeats, demonstrating its potential for therapeutic cardiac repair and regeneration.
- The technology offers a wireless, non-invasive, and damage-free alternative to traditional electrical stimulation, addressing its limitations.
- The study highlights the potential for this scaffold to advance cardiac therapy by improving tissue regeneration and integrating engineered tissues into the heart, with further research planned.
Summary
In a study published in Science Advances, researchers from Mass General Brigham and collaborating institutions introduced a novel, noninvasive method for modulating cardiac tissue activity using light. The research focused on a newly developed optoelectronically active scaffold based on 3D bioprinted gelatin methacryloyl embedded with micro-solar cells and seeded with human cardiomyocytes. This scaffold can be optically stimulated to alter tissue activity without wires or genetic modifications. The primary goal was to overcome the limitations of traditional electrical stimulation, which is typically invasive and may cause tissue damage.
The study found that pulsed light stimulation of the seeded cardiomyocytes significantly increased their beating rates by more than 40% while maintaining cell viability greater than 96%. Importantly, this light-induced modulation of cardiac activity did not significantly affect the electrocardiogram (ECG) morphology, demonstrating that the scaffold can modulate heart beating without introducing adverse effects. In vivo testing in rats further confirmed that the optoelectronically active tissues could accelerate heartbeating, suggesting potential therapeutic applications in cardiac repair and regeneration.
This breakthrough technology presents a transformative approach to tissue engineering, offering a wireless, non-invasive, and damage-free alternative to traditional electrical stimulation. The findings pave the way for future advancements in cardiac therapy, potentially improving tissue regeneration and facilitating seamless integration of engineered tissues into the heart’s biology. Researchers aim to explore further the long-term effects of this technology and its potential to enhance tissue repair and regeneration in clinical applications.
Link to the article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adt7210
References Ershad, F., Rao, Z., Maharajan, S., Mesquita, F. C. P., Ha, J., Gonzalez, L., Haideri, T., Curty Da Costa, E., Moctezuma-Ramirez, A., Wang, Y., Jang, S., Lu, Y., Patel, S., Wang, X., Tao, Y., Weygant, J., Garciamendez-Mijares, C. E., Orrantia Clark, L. C., Zubair, M., … Yu, C. (2025). Bioprinted optoelectronically active cardiac tissues. Science Advances, 11(4), eadt7210. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt7210
