by

Research line

In-vitro and ex-vivo experimental characterization of cardiac electrophysiology for:

  • multiscale and heterocellular study of physiological and pathophysiological cardiac states
  • characterization of temporal and spatial variability of cardiac electrophysiology in response to autonomic changes and metabolic states
  • identification of structural and molecular determinants of arrhythmic risk in human ventricles

Investigator in charge

Aida Oliván Viguera

Aida Oliván Viguera

Esther Pueyo Paules

Esther Pueyo Paules

Technologies and targeting sectors

  • Technology 1

Cardiac biomarkers to characterize and predict heart dysfunction in relation to disease or metabolic states.

Targeting sector: Pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies.

  • Technology 2

Experimental tools to predict cardio-toxicity of drug compounds.

Targeting sector: Pharmaceutical companies

  • Technology 3

Discovery of novel cardiac therapies against pathophysiological states and metabolic diseases.

Targeting sector: Pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies.

Singular equipment and techniques

  •  Optical Mapping (MiCAM O5-Ultima CMOS camera, SciMedia, Costa Mesa, CA) for electrophysiological recordings in cells and tissues
  • Vibratome (VT12000s, LEICA) for the preparation of living myocardial tissue slices
  • Mechanical electrostimulation system (C-Stretch and C-Pace M, Ion Optix) for organotypic tissue and cell culture
  • Force transducer (Myotronic Heilderberg) for contractile force measurements
  • Automatic Patch Clamp System (Q-patch Compact, Sophion, Denmark) for high-throughput electrophysiological recordings from ion channels in cells
  • Microelectrode array system (MEA2100-Mini-60 System, Multichannel systems) for electrophysiological recordings in cells and tissues
  • Tissue culture system with mechanical electrostimulation (MyoDish MD-1.2, In Vitro Sys) for biomimetic tissue culture with real time force monitoring

Projects

Diabetic heart on chip for multiscale characterization of the ventricular remodeling in diabetic cardiomyopathy – DHOC

Diabetic heart on chip for multiscale characterization of the ventricular remodeling in diabetic cardiomyopathy – DHOC

Clinically-guided data processing methods and in silico models to improve patient stratification and therapy response in cardiac and neurological disorders: PID2022-140556OB-I00

Clinically-guided data processing methods and in silico models to improve patient stratification and therapy response in cardiac and neurological disorders: PID2022-140556OB-I00

Advanced multifunction 3D biofabrication for the generation of computationally modelled human-scale therapeutic cardiac tissues – CARDIOPRINT

Advanced multifunction 3D biofabrication for the generation of computationally modelled human-scale therapeutic cardiac tissues – CARDIOPRINT

Computational biomechanics and bioengineering 3D printing to develop a personalized regenerative biological ventricular assist devide to provide lasting functional support to damaged hearts – BRAV3

Computational biomechanics and bioengineering 3D printing to develop a personalized regenerative biological ventricular assist devide to provide lasting functional support to damaged hearts – BRAV3

Finished Projects

Equipment for the chronic electro-mechanical stimulation of cell and tissue cultures that allows their maintenance under biomimetic conditions. Force transducer and controller to program duration and amplitude of mechanical stretch

Multi-Scale Physiology-Driven Computational Tools To Assist In The Assessment And Management Of Cardiac Dysfunctions (MScPhCarDys)

Equipment for Dual Optical Mapping of Transmembrane Potential and Calcium Transient

ERC Starting Grant. Is your heart aging well? A systems biology approach to characterize cardiac aging from the cell to the body surface (MODELAGE)

Towards improved management of cardiovascular diseases by integrative in silico-in vitro-in vivo research into hearts structure, function and autonomic regulation – PID2019-105674RB-I00

Confocal microscope with high performance Light Sheet based system and toxicity assessment platform