Design of Hydrogel Scaffolds from Chamber-Specific, Naturally Derived ECM

Engineered heart tissue (EHT) constructs offer versatile tools to study and understand cardiac biology. Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a major driving component of maintaining homeostasis and progression in diseased states. Producing EHTs with a more accurate preparation of ECM can potentially provide more accurate models to study cardiac biology(1).

Problem Statement

Previous studies(2) have pioneered the development of injectable hydrogels derived from left ventricle ECM materials, showcasing their potential in regenerating cardiovascular tissue. Our research seeks to investigate if naturally derived, chamber specific ECM could be modified to produce biologically active scaffolds for the production of EHT's. It is well researched that the ability of ECM to modulate biological activity is directly linked to its chemical composition. Additionally, different tissue decellularization methods to obtain this ECM have shown to have varying effects on the final composition of ECM biomaterials. Our project aims to compare the effects of employing the gold standard sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) detergent solution versus the comparatively less harsh sodium deoxycholate (SDC) detergent on ECM scaffold production and composition across the four heart chambers.

Overview of Solution

Optimize Decellularization & Hydrogel Formation Protocols for each Chamber
Investigate compositional differences between SDS and SDC decellularization methods
Test Criteria: Ensure under 50 ng/mg of DNA content
Track the loss of sGAG's and proteins through time
Determine the ability of our final ECM biomaterial to create a non-injectable, physical hydrogel.

Celine Tung