A micromachined force sensing apparatus and method for human engineered cardiac tissue and induced pluripotent stem cell characterization

Induced pluripotent stem cell derived-cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) have great potential for cell therapy, drug assessment, and for understanding the pathophysiology and genetic underpinnings of cardiac diseases. Contraction forces are one of the most important characteristics of cardiac function and are predictors of healthy and diseased states. Cantilever techniques, such as atomic force microscopy, measure the vertical force of a single cell, while systems designed to more closely resemble the physical heart function, such as engineered cardiac tissue held by end-posts, measure the axial force. One important question is how do these two force measurements correlate? By establishing a correlation of the axial and vertical force, we will be one step closer in being able to use single cell iPSC-CMs as models. A novel micro machined sensor for measuring force contractions of engineered tissue has been developed. Using this novel sensor, a correlation between axial and vertical forces is experimentally established. This finding supports the use of vertical force measurements as an alternative to tissue axial force measurements. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Induced pluripotent stem cell derived-cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) have great potential for various applications in cardiology research, including cell therapy and drug assessment. The study focuses on measuring contraction forces of engineered cardiac tissue using a novel micro machined sensor, and establishing a correlation between axial and vertical forces for single cell iPSC-CMs. This finding supports the use of vertical force measurements as an alternative to tissue axial force measurements.