New Fish-Inspired Technology Monitors Human Cardiac Tissue Response to Drugs and Diseases

Scientists have introduced an innovative technique that enables real-time monitoring of the pulsations of miniature human heart tissues cultivated in laboratories without relying on microscopes. This advancement could expedite the drug development process and decrease dependence on animal experiments.

The method measures subtle pressure fluctuations generated by the cardiac tissues as they contract within a fluid medium, allowing researchers to observe their activity continuously in a simple and noninvasive manner.

These tissues, known as cardiac organoids, are three-dimensional models grown from human heart cells in vitro. Although they do not replicate a complete heart, they simulate the contraction behavior of heart muscle and its response to medications, making them valuable tools for studying heart diseases and testing new treatments before clinical trials.

Cardiac organoids are increasingly used as alternatives to animal models because they are based on human cells, provide results more reflective of human drug responses, and can be produced in large quantities at lower costs.

However, analyzing these organoids faces technical challenges. Most current approaches depend on microscopic imaging and image analysis, which are time-consuming and difficult to scale to large sample numbers. Additionally, transferring organoids between culture environments and microscopes can compromise their integrity and increase contamination risks.

To address these issues, researchers from the University of New South Wales, in collaboration with the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, developed a new system called the Biomechanical Well Plate (BWP).

How the Biomechanical Well Plate System Works

The BWP operates differently from traditional techniques. Instead of capturing images of organoid movement, it detects minute ripples produced by their contractions within the fluid. The researchers compare this mechanism to ripples spreading on water when a stone is thrown in. Highly sensitive sensors capture tiny pressure changes and convert them into electrical signals that can be analyzed in real time.

The concept behind the system is inspired by the lateral line organ found in fish, a sensory apparatus that enables them to detect water movement and surrounding pressure changes.

Potential Applications in Drug Development and Personalized Medicine

Associate Professor Huang-Fong Fan, the lead author from the University of New South Wales, stated that the goal of this technology is to provide a more efficient tool for studying human organoids and to overcome limitations posed by conventional methods and animal models.

She added that the technique allows direct measurement of the mechanical performance of organoids without the need for constant transfers to microscopes, speeding up experiments and reducing contamination risks.

The researchers highlight that a key application of this technology is accelerating drug development by enabling immediate monitoring of cardiac tissue responses to new treatments upon their addition. This facilitates evaluation of drug efficacy and early elimination of ineffective compounds.

Furthermore, the system could support personalized medicine by cultivating cardiac organoids from a patient’s own cells and testing various drugs on them to identify the most suitable treatment or dosage.

Reducing Animal Testing and Expanding the Technology

The research team noted that the technology might also help reduce reliance on animal testing, especially since many drugs that succeed in animal trials fail to produce similar results in humans, underscoring the need for human cell-based models.

Although promising, the technology remains under development. Researchers are working on increasing the number of samples that can be analyzed simultaneously, enhancing sensor sensitivity, and expanding its use to other organoid types such as neural and muscular tissues.

The study’s findings were published in the journal Nature Sensors.