Circulating re-entrant waves promote maturation of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes in self-organized tissue ring.

ABSTRACT

Directed differentiation methods allow acquisition of high-purity cardiomyocytes differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs); however, their immaturity characteristic limits their application for drug screening and regenerative therapy. The rapid electrical pacing of cardiomyocytes has been used for efficiently promoting the maturation of cardiomyocytes, here we describe a simple device in modified culture plate on which hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes can form three-dimensional self-organized tissue rings (SOTRs). Using calcium imaging, we show that within the ring, reentrant waves (ReWs) of action potential spontaneously originated and ran robustly at a frequency up to 4 Hz. After 2 weeks, SOTRs with ReWs show higher maturation including structural organization, increased cardiac-specific gene expression, enhanced Ca2+-handling properties, an increased oxygen-consumption rate, and enhanced contractile force. We subsequently use a mathematical model to interpret the origination, propagation, and long-term behavior of the ReWs within the SOTRs.