Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and 3D Bioprinting Strategies for Cardiac Regeneration After Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, often resulting in a myocardial infarction (MI), which can lead to irreversible cell death and heart failure (HF). While advances in bioengineering and regenerative medicine offer promising solutions for patients, traditional heart transplantations are limited due to a shortage of organ donors. To address this issue, differentiating induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into cardiomyocytes via signaling pathways can provide a patientspecific source of functional cardiomyocytes, and as a long-term goal it may be capable of replacing damaged myocardial tissue. This study evaluates the role of iPSCs and different biofabrication methods, such as bioprinting, used to create ventricular constructs and cardiac patches that support injured regions of the heart post-MI. However, for patients with HF, bioprinting a whole-heart construct is being explored as a future objective and is necessary to restore cardiac function when cardiac patches or ventricular constructs are not sufficient. Despite the progress made in the field, few studies have addressed the need to improve bioprinting vascular networks, adopt appropriate bioinks, and reduce costs for iPSC differentiation and bioprinting technologies. If successful, this work can eventually mitigate symptoms post-MI or contribute to addressing HF solutions, offering patients a new quality of life.