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Cardiac tissue engineering - Development of a dynamic culture system for cardiac muscle tissue engineering

People involved: Gianfranco B. Fiore, Monica Soncini, Riccardo Vismara, Andrea Pavesi

Funding source: Italian Research Ministry Grant

Grant number: PRIN-2006-099779

Funding period: 2006 - 2008

Partners: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino; UO Malattie infettive e Tropicali, Dip Scienze Cliniche Università degli Studi di Milano; Dip di Biochimica, Università degli Studi di Bologna.

This research is carried out within the framework of a multi-partner project in the field of cardiac tissue engineering. The aim of the project is designing, manufacturing and pre-clinical validation of cardiac muscle tissue constructs, optimized for application in regenerative cardiac surgery. This objective is pursued by developing a cardiac cell culture model system, based on integrating four elements: the material constituting the bioartificial scaffold, the cellular phenotype(s), the biomimetic process of growth and differentiation achieved within a dynamic bioreactor, and pre-clinical experimentation carried out in the clinical setting by researchers working in the field of regenerative cardiac surgery. Particularly, the task of the research unit beloging to the Politecnico di Milano is focused on the development of a dynamic culture system (or bioreactor) for cardiac muscle tissue engineering, comprising a fluidic subsystem (culture chamber), a mechanical stimulation subsystem, an electrical stimulation subsystem, and a monitor and control subsystem.