Breakthrough in heart cell organization offers hope for defect research

    
• Scientists identified the origin of heart cells in mice.
• The study used advanced three-dimensional microscopy.
• The discovery could influence the understanding of congenital heart defects.

Scientists from University College London have made a groundbreaking discovery that could change our understanding of heart development. Using advanced three-dimensional microscopy, they identified the origin of the cells forming the heart in mice. This study could be crucial for understanding mechanisms behind congenital heart defects.

The study utilized layer microscopy, which allows for the observation of three-dimensional details of living tissues without damaging them. This technique enabled scientists to track the movement and division of cells forming the heart at a critical moment in embryo development, known as gastrulation.

The study results were surprising. Even at the early stage of gastrulation, cells that will form the heart start to appear. Moreover, these cells move in an organized way, as if they already know where they are going.

This is the first time we've been able to watch heart cells this closely, for this long, during mammalian development. We first had to reliably grow the embryos in a dish over long periods, from a few hours to a few days, and what we found was totally unexpected, explains Dr. Kenzo Ivanovitch.

This discovery could revolutionize the understanding of congenital heart defects and organ formation. Scientists hope their research will help in the future to uncover new mechanisms of organ formation, which could have significant importance and application in regenerative medicine.

In the future, we hope this work will help uncover new mechanisms of organ formation. This will inform design principles to precisely program tissue patterns and shapes for tissue engineering, emphasized Dr. Ivanovitch.