Cardiac Organoids (Cardioids)
Cardiac organoids (Cardioids) are specialized organ-like 3D tissues (organoids) that model human heart chambers.
Derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), cells are directed to develop into cardiomyocytes, cardiac endothelial cells, and cardiac fibroblasts autonomously. Through this self-organizing process, they form a chamber-like cardiac tissue that accurately recapitulates major hallmarks of a human heart in an in vitro setting.
Customizable
Our technology can customize key features in our Cardioid models to suit specific applications.
This versatility enables precise modeling of specific heart diseases and the development of novel therapies.
This versatility enables precise modeling of specific heart diseases and the development of novel therapies.
We achieve this in three ways:
Generating single-cavity structures composed almost entirely of cardiomyocytes
By optimizing the original Cardioid protocols, we have significantly improved cardiomyocyte maturation at the sarcomeric (muscle fiber), ion channel, metabolic, and functional levels.
This level of maturity creates a model that closely mirrors the structure, function, and electrophysiological properties of an adult human heart.
This level of maturity creates a model that closely mirrors the structure, function, and electrophysiological properties of an adult human heart.
Creating advanced single-cavity Cardioids
By creating more advanced single-cavity Cardioids that incorporate the three main cardiac cell types—cardiomyocytes, cardiac endothelial cells, and cardiac fibroblasts, we can closely mimic the human ventricle.
%20edit%204.jpg)
Fusing multiple Cardioids to form multi-chamber structures
Cardioids can be engineered to show the structural, molecular, and functional characteristics of the heart's chambers.
This allows the combination of atrial-like Cardioids with right ventricular (RV) and/or left ventricular (LV) Cardioids. These then fuse to create shared cavities, and electrically couple to allow for physiological pacing originating from the atrial Cardioid—just like in the human heart.
The resulting multi-chamber Cardioid serves as a highly realistic model of cardiac tissue and function and enables us to model larger, more complex regions of the human heart.
Video legend: Fused Cardioids with calcium transient signals.
This allows the combination of atrial-like Cardioids with right ventricular (RV) and/or left ventricular (LV) Cardioids. These then fuse to create shared cavities, and electrically couple to allow for physiological pacing originating from the atrial Cardioid—just like in the human heart.
The resulting multi-chamber Cardioid serves as a highly realistic model of cardiac tissue and function and enables us to model larger, more complex regions of the human heart.
Video legend: Fused Cardioids with calcium transient signals.
Scalable
Cardioids are next-generation 3D cardiac organoids engineered for industrial-scale screening applications:
- Compatible with 384-well formats
- High reproducibility with low failure rates
- Machine learning–driven quality control ensures consistency
Purpose-built for high-throughput production and compound screening at scale.
Cost-effective
Cardioids self-organize into 3D chamber-like structures through a simplified, extracellular matrix (ECM)-free protocol streamlining production and reducing costs to the level of conventional 2D in vitro models.
- Simultaneous self-organization and multi cell-type differentiation in a single well
- No need for complex engineering or batch-to-batch variable ECMs
- Fully automated production
Reasonable production costs unlock true scalability for drug discovery and clinical trials-in-a-dish.
Publications
Multi-chamber cardioids unravel human heart development and cardiac defects
November 2023
Heart development defects are the leading cause of fetal deaths due to the challenges of mutations, drugs, environmental factors, and limited accessibility. To address this, researchers created a human Cardioid platform that mimics the development of the embryonic heart and its main compartments. This advancement allows for the reproducible production of Cardioids with specific in vivo-like gene expression, functions, and morphologies. This study used the platform to investigate heart development and understand how internal and external factors can affect it.
In vitro models of the human heart
August 2021
Cardiovascular disease, including congenital heart defects, is the leading cause of death worldwide. Despite its prevalence, these conditions remain poorly understood, and progress in developing new therapies has been slow due to a lack of human cardiac models that can replicate heart function. This review examines various strategies to address these challenges including the use of self-organizing cardiac organoids.
Cardioids – Heartbeat, heartbreak and recovery in a dish
May 2021
Cardioids have proven effective in injury and disease modeling for the heart. These self-organizing models have the potential to revolutionize cardiovascular research and drug development due to their likeness in the structure and function of the human heart. This article highlights what cardioids are, how they are developed, and their potential value in using them for future research and development.
Cardioids reveal self-organizing principles of human cardiogenesis
May 2021
Organoids have transformed the study of human development and disease, except for the human heart. Here, researchers developed the first self-organizing heart-specific organoids, called Cardioids, from human stem cells that naturally form chamber-like structures and beat like a human heart. This work identified a key signaling pathway involving WNT, BMP, and the HAND1 gene as crucial for cavity formation and has been linked to heart defects. This study developed a Cardioid model to study human heart development and disease mechanisms.
Site by
