Design and Engineering of Biomimetic Microenvironment for the Differentiation of Human Stem Cells into Cardiomyocytes

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of mortality and disability. Following a myocardial infarction (MI), there is a substantial loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs), which are unable to proliferate in adulthood. Thus, it is essential to obtain in vitro mature, functional and capable of positively interacting with the host after implantation CMs. Current treatments include pharmacological therapies, coronary angioplasty, coronary bypass, and heart transplantation. However, the first three approaches fail to restore lost cardiac functionality; while heart transplantation, although a definitive solution, is limited by the scarcity of donors and requires lifelong immunosuppressive therapy for patients. This project involves the creation of synthetic nanofibrous scaffolds populated with Cardiac Progenitor Cells (CPCs), and the evaluation of their applicability in cardiac regeneration.