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There is one type of stem cell that can remarkably transform itself into any cell in the human body. Known as human induced pluripotent stem cells, or hiPSCs, they hold enormous potential for medical research—and biomedical and chemical engineer is putting them to work.

In his lab, Ma uses hiPSCs to grow three-dimensional replica hearts that beat, organize and function like the real thing, opening the door to faster drug screening and more personalized patient care.

“Stem cell technology can have a significant impact on how we treat heart disease and on overall heart health,” says Ma, associate professor in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering in the . “Our lab focuses on how we can better understand some of the fundamental questions on cardiac physiology and development.”

By studying how a heart forms during embryonic development, Ma and his research team can build miniature cardiac models that replicate the structure, rhythm and cellular makeup of a patient’s own heart.

Because the models are made from the same genetic biological materials as the patient, they offer a powerful tool for testing the efficacy—and potential side effects—of treatments for heart disease, cancer and other conditions without putting patients at risk.

In the (STEM) lab, Ma and his student researchers study how the heart forms, how different cell types build the replica’s working chamber and how that chamber develops the vascular structure that feeds the heart’s muscles.

Ma’s innovative research project, titled Engineering Stem Cell-Based Cardiac Organoids, examines the cardiotoxicity—damage to the heart muscle or valves caused by harmful substances like chemotherapy and radiation—impact on these 3D heart models. His work has been supported by a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, the NSF’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty.

“A drug’s adverse effect on the heart is the number one reason a treatment will be pulled from the market. We use this research to better understand the effect a drug has on the heart’s muscles,” Ma says. “This research is helping accelerate the drug screening pipelines while also reducing the resources that are poured into these drug delivery frameworks.”

Closing the Gap Between Lab and Patient

Ma says in a normal drug development platform, researchers will use two major models: a zebrafish model and mouse models, which tend to be more expensive.

Using these models, researchers will observe the potential embryotoxicity effect of the drug. Ma’s lab’s methods closely mimic the high-throughput potential and unique regenerative abilities found in zebrafish, with one significant difference.

“Our model is more human-based and is more relevant and applicable on a human scale,” Ma says. “We believe that our models have more accuracy in terms of predicting the possible toxicity effect on human tissues.”

If a patient is suffering from heart disease and is experiencing muscle loss in the heart, Ma says this form of stem cell research can help regenerate the muscles and makeup of the heart without fear of the cell tissues being rejected by the patient.

How NSF Support Helped Build a Better Heart

When Ma came to the University 10 years ago, he started his lab to create cardiac models using stem cells.

In 2020, helped Ma create a better model heart and map out the different cells in the organoids. By observing how the cells communicated with the other cells, Ma learned how these cardiovascular cells are creating better, stronger heart muscles.

A research breakthrough came in 2022. Seeking to manufacture exponentially higher quantities of stem cell components needed to advance new disease treatments from clinical trials into mainstream use, Ma received a $500,000 NSF future manufacturing seed grant.

Game-Changing Research

Ma and his team have published several papers on their findings and plan to explore how machine learning could improve their heart models, how physical forces on heart tissue affect its ability to pump blood and how their model compares to traditional zebrafish toxicity screenings.

Eventually, they want to build a system helping patients assess treatment risks based on their health history and how well a drug works.

When it comes to pregnant women, Ma hopes to classify treatments based on the patient’s risk for developing fetal heart problems and offer solutions that present a much lower risk for developing an abnormal heart.

“This is really helping us to establish ourselves in the field of cardiac organoids and embryotoxicity,” Ma says. “My students do all of the work in the lab and I’m thankful that my research has been supported by a group of talented students.”