Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., and 1 in 4 Americans is projected to have heart failure (HF) in their lifetime. Animal models have been the cornerstone of modern cardiac research. Yet, their utilities are limited by species-specific differences at molecular, structural, and functional levels. For instance, mice have a resting heart rate of around 600 beats per minute (bpm), contrasting with a resting heart rate of 70 bpm in humans. Moreover, many human heart diseases do not naturally occur in animal models. The FDA recently removed the requirement for drug testing in animals before human drug trials. This critical change underscores an urgent need for alternative models that recapitulate human pathophysiology. The overarching goal of my research is to leverage engineering tools (e.g., tissue engineering, 3D printing, and electrical engineering) and human stem cells to build physiologically relevant cardiac models. In this talk, we will discuss my work on 1) the development of the first engineered model of tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy using human stem cells, and how we used this model to uncover the molecular underpinning of tachycardia-induced cardiac dysfunction and 2) improving the maturity of cardiomyocytes derived from human stem cells (iPSCs) to maximize their potential in modeling adult cardiac physiology. Finally, I will discuss the outlook of my work, which will focus on improving the physiological accuracy of engineered models and the application of these models in addressing the fundamental gap in our understanding of the human heart.
Dr. Chengyi Tu is an Instructor at Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. He received his Ph.D. training in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, during which he studied the role of biochemical and physical cues on the differentiation and maturation of cardiomyocytes from pluripotent stem cells. For postdoctoral training, he joined Stanford Cardiovascular Institute under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph C. Wu, a leading expert in stem cell disease modeling. Dr. Tu’s research at Stanford focused on applying various engineering tools to model complex cardiac disease, a synergistic combination of his Ph.D. training and the expertise of his mentor. Dr. Tu’s work has been published in Journals such as Nature Biomedical Engineering, Integrative Biology, Cell Stem Cell, and ACS Nano. His research has been recognized through numerous awards, including the American Heart Association (AHA) postdoctoral fellowship, the AHA Career Development Award, and the NIH R00/K99 Pathway to Independence Award. In addition to research, Dr. Tu is passionate about teaching, mentoring, and outreach. He has > 3 years of experience as a teaching assistant for courses such as Cell and Tissue Engineering and Capstone Design. The ultimate mission of Dr. Tu’s career is to reduce the socioeconomic burden of heart disease through a deeper understanding of human cardiac biology and mentor next-generation scientists and engineers.