Cardiac stress responses may activate mechanisms related to mitochondrial dysfunction, analyses in human stem cell derived cardiomyocytes

Jurkiewicz Zuzanna, 2025
Cardiomyopathies such as ACM and MFS represent life-threatening conditions with limited curative options, particularly in young individuals. Understanding the cellular and metabolic underpinnings of these diseases is vital for developing more precise diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. By employing patient-specific hiPSC-derived CMs, this study contributes to a growing body of research focused on personalized disease modeling, allowing researchers to capture genotype-specific features in a human context. The improved differentiation protocol developed here enhances the reliability of these models, paving the way for more reproducible drug screening and functional testing. Furthermore, the mitochondrial impairments characterized in this work offer insight into potential metabolic targets for intervention. Highlighting the role of mitochondrial fragmentation and stress responses in disease phenotypes, especially in MFS, opens new avenues for therapeutic development that extend beyond structural correction. As stem cell technologies move closer to clinical application, studies like this help bridge the gap between bench and bedside, ultimately aiming to reduce morbidity and mortality in genetic cardiac disorders through precision medicine.

Promotor Jolanda van Hengel
Opleiding Biomedische Wetenschappen
Domein Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Kernwoorden ACM MFS iPSCs Cardiomyocytes