# Flexible bioelectronics platform converging capillary-like delivery network and sensing feedback network for improving cardiac tissue engineering

> **NIH NIH R33** · UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST · 2024 · $488,026

## Abstract

Project Summary
Cardiac diseases remain the leading cause of human morbidity and mortality. Cardiac microtissues/organoids
built from human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) provide promising
platforms for disease modeling and long-term treatment (e.g., through transplantation). However, recapitulating
the intricate environment of the human heart, especially the global cell maturity, has proven challenging in vitro.
One primary hurdle is the lack of consistent delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the deep-layer tissue, leading to
unbalanced tissue development that eventually impairs the full functional maturation for precision studies.
Existing artificial vascular systems are either confined to planar substrate or limited in resolution, falling short of
the spatial coverage and resolution in the capillary network of a living organ for efficient media delivery. Moreover,
no concurrent sensing network and bioelectronic data analytics are available to provide real-time and
comprehensive assessment (e.g., link to molecular cell mechanisms) of the delivery effect across the 3D tissue.
To fill in the gaps, we aim to develop an ultra-flexible and stretchable bioelectronic microarchitecture that
integrates a capillary-like network for efficient media delivery and a tissue-like sensing network for tissue-state
feedback. The system will be seamlessly integrated with cardiac microtissues to improve tissue development.
We will also translate the real-time physiological feedback to molecular cell mechanisms to enable
comprehensive quantification of the delivery effect.
To realize the goals, Aim 1 will focus on constructing the flexible bioelectronic microarchitecture, optimizing the
converged delivery and sensing functions, integrating the system in cardiac microtissues, and evaluating the
interfacing intimacy and media delivery efficiency. Aim 2 will focus on the comprehensive analysis and
optimization of delivery effect, through the multiple efforts of performing long-term electrical recording, employing
in situ electro-sequencing to combine 3D spatial transcriptomics with electrical recording, and using analytics to
connect functional phenotypes to molecular cell mechanisms. The success of this work will provide a
transformative platform for improving cardiac tissue engineering. This platform can be readily translated to other
tissue systems for improving function and development.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10990630
- **Project number:** 1R33HL175683-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
- **Principal Investigator:** Jun Yao
- **Activity code:** R33 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $488,026
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-06 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10990630

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10990630, Flexible bioelectronics platform converging capillary-like delivery network and sensing feedback network for improving cardiac tissue engineering (1R33HL175683-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10990630. Licensed CC0.

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