Standardization is critical for the broader adoption of physiologically relevant human cardiac models
The collaboration brings together Axol Bioscience’s expertise in human induced pluripotent stem cell, (iPSC) derived cardiomyocytes with the Cuore platform from Optics11 Life. Cuore enables researchers to apply electrical stimulation and quantitatively measure the contractile function of three-dimensional engineered cardiac tissues.
A standardized workflow for engineered cardiac tissue generation and analysis
A central outcome of the partnership is the release of a standardized and validated protocol for generating and functionally assessing engineered cardiac tissues using axoCells™ human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and the Cuore platform.
The protocol provides researchers with a defined workflow for tissue preparation, culture, electrical stimulation, and contractility assessment. By reducing variation in how cardiac tissues are generated and analyzed, the workflow is designed to improve consistency between experiments and support more reliable comparison of results.
By combining well-characterized human cardiomyocytes with a validated workflow and quantitative functional measurements, Axol Bioscience and Optics11 Life aim to provide researchers with a more consistent approach to engineered cardiac tissue generation and analysis.
The approach allows researchers to connect cellular and molecular observations with tissue-level functional outcomes, including contractile force, tissue maturation, electrical pacing response, and changes following treatment.
The collaboration will support applications in cardiovascular disease modeling, drug discovery, safety pharmacology, cardiotoxicity testing, and regenerative medicine. It can also help researchers generate the consistent evidence needed to build confidence in human-relevant cardiac models among academic, pharmaceutical, and regulatory communities.