Fumimasa Nomura

In vitro pharmacologic testing using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

The lethal ventricular arrhythmia Torsade de pointes (TdP) is the most common reason for the withdrawal or restricted use of many cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular drugs. The lack of an in vitro model to detect pro-arrhythmic effects on human heart cells hinders the development of new drugs. We hypothesized that recently established human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells could be used in an in vitro drug screening model. In this study, hiPS cells were driven to differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes, which expressed cardiac markers including Nkx2.5, GATA4, and atrial natriuretic peptide. The hiPS-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPS-CMs) were analyzed using a multi electrode assay. The application of ion channel inhibitors resulted in dose-dependent changes to the field potential waveform, and these changes were identical to those induced in the native cardiomyocytes. This study shows that hiPS-CMs represent a promising in vitro model for cardiac electrophysiologic studies and drug screening.

On-chip in vitro cell-network pre-clinical cardiac toxicity using spatiotemporal human cardiomyocyte measurement on a chip

To overcome the limitations and misjudgments of conventional prediction of arrhythmic cardiotoxicity, we have developed an on-chip in vitro predictive cardiotoxicity assay using cardiomyocytes derived from human stem cells employing a constructive spatiotemporal two step measurement of fluctuation (short-term variability; STV) of cells repolarization and cell-to-cell conduction time, representing two origins of lethal arrhythmia. Temporal STV of field potential duration (FPD) showed a potential to predict the risks of lethal arrhythmia originated from repolarization dispersion for false negative compounds, which was not correctly predicted by conventional measurements using animal cells, even for non-QT prolonging clinical positive compounds. Spatial STV of conduction time delay also unveiled the proarrhythmic risk of asynchronous propagation in cell networks, whose risk cannot be correctly predicted by single-cell-based measurements, indicating the importance of the spatiotemporal fluctuation viewpoint of in vitro cell networks for precise prediction of lethal arrhythmia reaching clinical assessment such as thorough QT assay.

Microtechnologies to fuel neurobiological research with nanometer precision

The interface between engineering and molecular life sciences has been fertile ground for advancing our understanding of complex biological systems. Engineered microstructures offer a diverse toolbox for cellular and molecular biologists to direct the placement of cells and small organisms, and to recreate biological functions in vitro: cells can be positioned and connected in a designed fashion, and connectivity and community effects of cells studied. Because of the highly polar morphology and finely compartmentalized functions of neurons, microfabricated cell culture systems and related on-chip technologies have become an important enabling platform for studying development, function and degeneration of the nervous system at the molecular and cellular level. Here we review some of the compartmentalization techniques developed so far to highlight how high-precision control of neuronal connectivity allows new approaches for studying axonal and synaptic biology.

On-chip constructive cell-network study (II): on-chip quasi- in vivo cardiac toxicity assay for ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation measurement using ring-shaped closed circuit microelectrode with lined-up cardiomyocyte cell network

BackgroundsConventional in vitro approach using human ether-a-go-go related gene (hERG) assay has been considered worldwide as the first screening assay for cardiac repolarization safety. However, it does not always oredict the potential QT prolongation risk or pro-arrhythmic risk correctly. For adaptable preclinical strategiesto evaluate global cardiac safety, an on-chip quasi-in vivo cardiac toxicity assay for lethal arrhythmia (ventricular tachyarrhythmia) measurement using ring-shaped closed circuit microelectrode chip has been developed.ResultsThe ventricular electrocardiogram (ECG)-like field potential data, which includes both the repolarization and the conductance abnormality, was acquired from the self-convolutied extracellular field potentials (FPs) of a lined-up cardiomyocyte network on a circle-shaped microelectrode in an agarose microchamber. When Astemisol applied to the closed-loop cardiomyocyte network, self-convoluted FP profile of normal beating changed into an early afterdepolarization (EAD) like waveform, and then showed ventricular tachyarrhythmias and ventricular fibrilations (VT/Vf). QT-prolongation-like self-convoluted FP duration prolongation and its fluctuation increase was also observed according to the increase of Astemizole concentration.ConclusionsThe results indicate that the convoluted FPs of the quasi-in vivo cell network assay includes both of the repolarization data and the conductance abnormality of cardiomyocyte networks has the strong potential to prediction lethal arrhythmia.

Label-Free Shape-Based Selection of Cardiomyocytes with on-Chip Imaging Cell Sorting System

We have examined the method for the label-free optical microscopic image-based selection of cardiomyocytes from the mixture of collagenase-digested embryonic mouse heart cells using the on-chip imaging cell sorter system, in which 1/2000 s real-time high-speed camera-based phase-contrast cell image recognition was performed. To separate the cardiomyocytes from other cells including fibroblasts, we distinguished the roughness of the cell surface quantitatively as the index of sorting. The selected cells with smooth surface (roughness index not more than 1.1) for cardiomyocytes, and confirmed that the more than 80% of the collected and recultivated cells were self-beating and the 99.2% of them were identified as cardiomyocytes by immunostaining. The results indicates the potential of the label-free cell purification using imaging cell sorting system, especially for cardiomyocytes by the index of their cell surface roughness, which might be applicable for purification of cardiomyocytes for regenerative medicine.

A distribution analysis of action potential parameters obtained from patch-clamped human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

We investigated electrophysiological properties of human induced-pluripotent-stem-cell-derived and embryonic-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes, and analyzed action potential parameters by plotting their frequency distributions. In the both cell lines, the distribution analysis revealed that histograms of maximum upstroke velocity showed two subpopulations with similar intersection values. Sub-populations with faster maximum upstroke velocity showed significant prolongation of action potential durations by application of E-4031, whereas others did not, which may be partly due to shallower maximum diastolic potentials. We described electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes in the respective sub-populations, which provides a way to characterize diverse electrical properties of stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes systematically.

Effects of Lipid Composition and Solution Conditions on the Mechanical Properties of Membrane Vesicles

The mechanical properties of cell-sized giant unilamellar liposomes were studied by manipulating polystyrene beads encapsulated within the liposomes using double-beam laser tweezers. Mechanical forces were applied to the liposomes from within by moving the beads away from each other, which caused the liposomes to elongate. Subsequently, a tubular membrane projection was generated in the tip at either end of the liposome, or the bead moved out from the laser trap. The force required for liposome transformation reached maximum strength just before formation of the projection or the moving out of the bead. By employing this manipulation system, we investigated the effects of membrane lipid compositions and environment solutions on the mechanical properties. With increasing content of acidic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylglycerol or phosphatidic acid, a larger strength of force was required for the liposome transformation. Liposomes prepared with a synthetic dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine, which has uniform hydrocarbon chains, were transformed easily compared with liposomes prepared using natural phosphatidylcholine. Surprisingly, bovine serum albumin or fetuin (soluble proteins that do not bind to membranes) decreased liposomal membrane rigidity, whereas the same concentration of sucrose showed no particular effect. These results show that the mechanical properties of liposomes depend on their lipid composition and environment.

Quasi-in vivo heart electrocardiogram measurement of ST period using convolution of cell network extracellular field potential propagation in lined-up cardiomyocyte cell-network circuit

A model for the quasi-in vivo heart electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement of the ST period has been developed. As the part of ECG data at the ST period is the convolution of the extracellular field potentials (FPs) of cardiomyocytes in a ventricle, we have fabricated a lined-up cardiomyocyte cell-network on a lined-up microelectrode array and a circular microelectrode in an agarose microchamber, and measured the convoluted FPs. When the ventricular tachyarrhythmias of beating occurred in the cardiomyocyte network, the convoluted FP profile showed similar arrhythmia ECG-like profiles, indicating the convoluted FPs of the in vitro cell network include both the depolarization data and the propagation manner of beating in the heart.

A Non-Destructive Culturing and Cell Sorting Method for Cardiomyocytes and Neurons Using a Double Alginate Layer

A non-destructive method of collecting cultured cells after identifying their in situ functional characteristics is proposed. In this method, cells are cultivated on an alginate layer in a culture dish and released by spot application of a calcium chelate buffer that locally melts the alginate layer and enables the collection of cultured cells at the single-cell level. Primary hippocampal neurons, beating human embryonic stem (hES) cell-derived cardiomyocytes, and beating hES cell-derived cardiomyocyte clusters cultivated on an alginate layer were successfully released and collected with a micropipette. The collected cells were recultured while maintaining their physiological function, including beating, and elongated neurites. These results suggest that the proposed method may eventually facilitate the transplantation of ES- or iPS-derived cardiomyocytes and neurons differentiated in culture.

Orientation and Community Size Dependences of Pulsatile Electrical Field Stimulation on Lined-Up and Rod-Shaped Single Cardiomyocytes

We have examined the orientation dependence of minimum electric field intensity for the stimulation of cardiomyocytes, which were cultivated in agarose chambers, using a lined-up cardiomyocyte network with different numbers of cells and orientations. When the cell network was arranged parallel to the electric field, the required minimum electric field intensity decreased to one-fourth as cell number increased, whereas that of the cell network arranged orthogonal to the electrical field did not decrease and was independent of cell number. The required electrical field intensity of the 100 µm rod-shaped single cardiomyocyte in a microchamber arranged parallel to the electric field was also 40% lower than that of the cell network arranged orthogonal to the electric field. The results indicate that the gradient of the electric field potential between two ends of the cell network or rod-shaped single cell is important for their excitation.