Modeling Human Cardiac Chambers with Organoids

This article highlights recent advances in modeling human cardiac development using organoids. The featured study by Hofbauer et al. presents the creation of cardioids—three-dimensional, self-organizing cardiac organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells. These cardioids exhibit primitive features of the left ventricular chamber, including myocardial, endothelial, and epicardial layers. The system enables insights into congenital heart defects, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, by recreating key developmental milestones like cavitation, endocardial patterning, and epicardial migration. It also models injury responses, offering a platform to study regeneration versus fibrosis in ventricular damage.

This article highlights recent advances in modeling human cardiac development using organoids. The featured study by Hofbauer et al. presents the creation of cardioids—three-dimensional, self-organizing cardiac organoids derived from human pluripotent stem cells. These cardioids exhibit primitive features of the left ventricular chamber, including myocardial, endothelial, and epicardial layers. The system enables insights into congenital heart defects, such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome, by recreating key developmental milestones like cavitation, endocardial patterning, and epicardial migration. It also models injury responses, offering a platform to study regeneration versus fibrosis in ventricular damage.