Olga Brazhkina
BME PhD Defense Presentation

Date: 2024-09-27
Time: 10:00 AM-12:00 PM
Location / Meeting Link: HSRB II N600; https://emory.zoom.us/j/93923777483

Committee Members:
Michael E. Davis, PhD (Advisor); Scott J. Hollister, PhD; Johnna S. Temenoff, PhD; Vahid Serpooshan, PhD; Yuhang Hu, PhD


Title: Auxetic iPSC-Cardiomyocyte Patches for Heart Repair After Myocardial Infarction

Abstract:
Myocardial infarction is one of the largest contributors to cardiovascular disease and reduces the ability of the heart to pump blood. One promising therapeutic approach to address the diminished function is the use of cardiac patches composed of biomaterial substrates and cardiac cells. New designs to cardiac patches, such auxetic geometries that can expand in multiple directions when stretched longitudinally, can have high energy absorption, and can be modified to suit the mechanics of the infarct and surrounding cardiac tissue. These desirable qualities would be an ideal platform to investigate if auxetic patches can provide a supportive environment for cardiomyocyte function. This project developed an auxetic composite polycaprolactone and fibrin cardiac patch that can support induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (iCM) function, serve as a platform for iCM maturation, and be therapeutically used to improve cardiac function in a rat chronic ischemia reperfusion injury model. Aim 1 focuses on designing an auxetic cardiac patch capable of supporting iCM function. Aim 2 examines maturation potential of iCMs encapsulated within the auxetic cardiac patch under cyclic loading conditions. Finally, aim 3 evaluates therapeutic cardiac function in vivo after patch delivery following a chronic myocardial infarction model. Taken together these aims demonstrate the validity of using auxetics for long-term cardiomyocyte culture and maturation, as well as tissue engineering approaches to treating cardiac disease.