Extended-life human heart tissue platform for drug and gene-therapy testing
The Extended-life human heart tissue platform is a biomimetic system that extends the functional viability of human heart tissue slices from 24 hours to 12 days. By mimicking the physiological conditions of a living heart, this technology enables more accurate preclinical testing of drug candidates and gene therapies, helping to improve safety and efficacy assessments while reducing the need for animal and human clinical trials. The technology is currently licensed for commercial use.
Overview
The Extended-life human heart tissue platform is a biomimetic culture system designed to overcome the limitations of traditional preclinical drug and gene-therapy testing. By replicating the physiological environment of a living heart, this technology extends the functional viability of human heart tissue slices from the standard 24 hours to up to 12 days. This extended window allows researchers to conduct more comprehensive, accurate, and reliable assessments of drug efficacy and cardiotoxicity, helping to reduce the high rate of failure in clinical trials caused by unforeseen side effects.
Technical specifications
- Extended Viability: Maintains functional and structural integrity of human heart tissue slices for up to 12 days.
- Biomimetic Environment: Utilizes a pneumatic chamber that mimics the conditions of a living heart, including the complete cardiac cycle of contraction and relaxation.
- Physiological Simulation: Employs continuous electrical stimulation and optimized culture media to support high metabolic demands.
- Versatility: Capable of simulating various pathological conditions such as hypertension, hypoxia, tachycardia, and bradycardia.
- Applications: Suitable for testing small molecules, gene therapies, and cell therapies, as well as measuring cardiotoxic effects and therapeutic efficacy.
Technology readiness level
The technology is at level 8. It has been validated through research, is protected by patent applications, and has successfully transitioned to a commercial partnership. A non-exclusive license has been granted to AnaBios, a preclinical contract research organization, which is incorporating the technology into its service portfolio for industrial-scale drug discovery.
About University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a comprehensive public R1 research university serving Kentucky’s largest metro, with a metropolitan, multi-campus footprint. Integration with UofL Health and a co-located Health Sciences Center enables clinical studies and translation at scale. A downtown innovation campus and the ShelbyHurst research and office park provide collocation for startups and corporate R&D, while the J.B. Speed School’s mandatory co-op supplies a steady pipeline of industry-experienced talent. Partners also benefit from Louisville’s logistics and manufacturing ecosystem, anchored by UPS Worldport, enabling rapid prototyping-to-distribution. Research is backed by competitive federal funding, including NIH and NSF, and by industry-sponsored projects managed through the Office of Research and Innovation’s technology transfer and sponsored programs teams.
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