A humanized model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) to study disease onset and progression in response to volumetric pressure loads

The clinical prognosis for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is very poor and the only long-term alternative is heart transplant. Our goal is to develop a living, human, model of HCM in a dish so that we can develop new therapeutics that target disease onset and early-stage progression. We will do this by modifying our recently developed, 3D printed, chambered model of a living cardiac muscle pump. Instead of making the muscle pump with healthy cells, we will use cells with genetic mutations associated with HCM. In this way we will be able, for the first time, to study the impact of volumetric pressure loads on early triggers of disease and long term HCM progression.