Biohybrid 3D Printing of a Tissue‐Sensor Platform for Wireless, Real‐Time, and Continuous Monitoring of Drug‐Induced Cardiotoxicity

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 35; no. 11; pp. e2208983 - n/a
• Main Authors: Yong, Uijung, Kim, Donghwan, Kim, Hojoong, Hwang, Dong Gyu, Cho, Sungkeon, Nam, Hyoryung, Kim, Sejin, Kim, Taeyeong, Jeong, Unyong, Kim, Keehoon, Chung, Wan Kyun, Yeo, Woon‐Hong, Jang, Jinah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.03.2023
• Subjects: 3-D printers; biohybrid 3D bioprinting; Cardiotoxicity; contractile force; Electronic systems; Heart; Humans; Materials science; Monitoring; Muscles; Myocardial Contraction; Myocardium; Pharmacology; Physiological effects; Physiology; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Self-assembly; Sensors; Strain gauges; Substrates; Three dimensional printing; Tissue Engineering - methods; tissue‐sensor platforms; wireless monitoring; contractile force; cardiotoxicity; wireless monitoring; tissue-sensor platforms; biohybrid 3D bioprinting
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.202208983

Drug‐induced cardiotoxicity is regarded as a major hurdle in the early stages of drug development. Although there are various methods for preclinical cardiotoxicity tests, they cannot completely predict the cardiotoxic potential of a compound due to the lack of physiological relevance. Recently, 3D engineered heart tissue (EHT) has been used to investigate cardiac muscle functions as well as pharmacological effects by exhibiting physiological auxotonic contractions. However, there is still no adequate platform for continuous monitoring to test acute and chronic pharmacological effects in vitro. Here, a biohybrid 3D printing method for fabricating a tissue‐sensor platform, composed of a bipillar‐grafted strain gauge sensor and EHT, is first introduced. Two pillars are three‐dimensionally printed as grafts onto a strain gauge‐embedded substrate to promote the EHT contractility and guide the self‐assembly of the EHTs along with the strain gauge. In addition, the integration of a wireless multi‐channel electronic system allows for continuous monitoring of the EHT contractile force by the tissue‐sensor platform and, ultimately, for the observation of the acute and chronic drug effects of cardiotoxicants. In summary, biohybrid 3D printing technology is expected to be a potential fabrication method to provide a next‐generation tissue‐sensor platform for an effective drug development process. A biohybrid 3D printing method is introduced for the fabrication of tissue‐sensor platforms. The integration of electronics with living cardiac tissues enables continuous monitoring of their contractile force and, ultimately, the drug‐induced cardiotoxicity effects on cardiac tissues. It is expected that this method has the potential to become the next‐generation technology in the field of tissue engineering for drug development.