Engineered Heart Tissues to Study Contractile Dysfunction and Drug Response
Cardiovascular diseases remain among the most pressing health and economic challenges in the Netherlands, accounting for high morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Within this group, aortic diseases, arterial pathologies, and heart failure — including inherited contractilopathies such as LMNA- and FBN-related mutations — represent particularly complex clinical problems for which no early diagnostic or targeted therapeutic options currently exist. These rare genetic disorders have devastating consequences for affected families, often leading to repeated maternal or familial deaths due to heart failure or aortic dissection.
To address this unmet need, the CARTA consortium—a new collaboration bridging patients, clinicians, researchers, companies, and cardiovascular alliances—introduces an integrated diagnostic and research platform. CARTA (Cardiovascular contractilopathy Assessment and treatment Response through patient-specific Tissue Analysis) uses patient-derived blood cells to create induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), which are differentiated into cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells. These are assembled into three-dimensional engineered heart and vascular tissuesthat reproduce each patient’s contractile and pharmacological profile.
Using the innovative Optics11Life Cuore platform, these tissues are analyzed with advanced force, electrical, and mechanical assays. The goal is to generate quantifiable, patient-specific data within a clinically relevant timeframe of three months—far faster than current approaches.
The project includes five work packages focused on standardizing cell production, tissue engineering, functional testing, clinical integration, and dissemination. Deliverables include validated diagnostic workflows, optimized tissue prototypes, and a roadmap for CE/MDR-compliant clinical translation.
By combining biological precision, cutting-edge engineering, and close clinical collaboration, CARTA aims to transform the diagnosis and treatment of hereditary heart and vascular diseases, aligning with the strategic goals of the Dutch Cardiovascular Alliance (DCVA) and the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS).
