动物实验,皮肤干细胞 z-bo 2022-02-01 374

　　American scientists have genetically recombined pluripotent stem cells extracted from human skin to cultivate a microventricle with human heart cells. This "small heart" can beat like a full-sized heart. The researchers said that this "mini" organ can replace animal experiments to screen new drugs or test the effects of drugs on babies, and it will also help scientists reveal more secrets about the formation and development of the human heart. The study’s collaborator and professor of bioengineering at the University of California, Berkeley, Kevin Healy, said in an interview with the British Daily Mail on July 15: “We believe this is the first human microventricle grown in a test tube. This technology may help us quickly screen for drugs that may cause congenital heart disease in the fetus."

　　 He and Bruce Conklin, a researcher at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases at the University of California, San Francisco, used biochemical and biophysical methods to induce stem cells to differentiate and self-organize into this tiny heart tissue, including microventricles. Related research was published in the latest issue of "Nature Communications".

　　 In order to test the potential of this system as a drug screening tool, the researchers exposed the differentiated cells to the drug thalidomide, which may cause serious birth defects. They found that under normal therapeutic doses, this drug can cause abnormalities in the development of microventricles, including problems such as constant size atrophy, muscle contraction, and decreased heart rhythm. Conklin said: "Approximately 280,000 pregnant women are exposed to drugs that are potentially dangerous to the fetus each year. Among them, the most common birth defects include heart disease. The latest system may significantly reduce pregnant women’s exposure to toxic drugs. Moreover, despite the latest research The main emphasis is on heart tissue, but new technologies have the potential to nurture other body organs."

　　 Previously, scientists mainly used cardiomyocytes from experimental mice to study heart microtissues, but this is not an ideal model for human disease research. The "mini" heart developed from human stem cells has completely changed this practice and will replace animal experiments in the future.