Matrix Architecture and Mechanics Regulate Myofibril Organization, Costamere Assembly, and Contractility in Engineered Myocardial Microtissues.

The mechanical function of the myocardium is defined by cardiomyocyte contractility and the biomechanics of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Understanding this relationship remains an important unmet challenge due to limitations in existing approaches for engineering myocardial tissue. Here, they established arrays of cardiac microtissues with tunable mechanics and architecture by integrating ECM-mimetic synthetic, fiber matrices, and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs), enabling real-time contractility readouts, in-depth structural assessment, and tissue-specific computational modeling.

Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte in vitro models: benchmarking progress and ongoing challenges.

Recent innovations in differentiating cardiomyocytes from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have unlocked a viable path to creating in vitro cardiac models. Currently, hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) remain immature, leading many in the field to explore approaches to enhance cell and tissue maturation. Here, we systematically analyzed 300 studies using hiPSC-CM models to determine common fabrication, maturation and assessment techniques used to evaluate cardiomyocyte functionality and maturity and compiled the data into an open-access database.

PA leadership: Implementation, structure, and sustainability.

Physician associate/assistant (PA) leaders are essential to healthcare and critical to a healthcare organization's success. In this article, the second of a two-part series on PA leadership, we summarize methods for implementing and sustaining PA leadership opportunities and organizational structures.