Method and apparatus for measuring contraction characteristics of engineered heart tissue constructs
First Claim
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1. A method for measuring contraction characteristics of engineered heart tissue constructs, comprising the following steps:
- providing at least one engineered heart tissue construct,attaching each of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct to a separate first support element, which comprises or is mechanically coupled to a piezoelectric element which is the sensing element of a piezoelectric transducer, such that upon contraction of the respective engineered heart tissue construct a load is transferred to the respective piezoelectric element and the respective piezoelectric transducer generates and outputs a corresponding electrical sensor signal characteristic of the load and/or of a change of the load applied to the respective first support element by the respective engineered heart tissue construct due to the contraction thereof, andanalyzing, for each of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct, the sensor signal output by the respective piezoelectric transducer and deriving at least one contraction characteristic of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct on the basis of the analysis,wherein the step of attaching each of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct to a separate first support element comprises, for each of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct, attaching the respective engineered heart tissue construct to at least one second support element, each being spaced with at least a portion thereof from the respective first support element and each engaging the respective engineered heart tissue construct at a location spaced from a location at which the respective first support element engages the respective engineered heart tissue construct, so that it is suspended between the respective first support element and the respective at least one second support element.
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Abstract
The invention is directed to a novel method for measuring contraction characteristics of engineered heart tissue constructs (16) which is based on the mechanical coupling of the construct (16) to a support element (8) which comprises or is mechanically coupled to a piezoelectric element (10). An apparatus (1) for carrying out the method of the invention is also provided.
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13 Claims
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1. A method for measuring contraction characteristics of engineered heart tissue constructs, comprising the following steps:
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providing at least one engineered heart tissue construct, attaching each of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct to a separate first support element, which comprises or is mechanically coupled to a piezoelectric element which is the sensing element of a piezoelectric transducer, such that upon contraction of the respective engineered heart tissue construct a load is transferred to the respective piezoelectric element and the respective piezoelectric transducer generates and outputs a corresponding electrical sensor signal characteristic of the load and/or of a change of the load applied to the respective first support element by the respective engineered heart tissue construct due to the contraction thereof, and analyzing, for each of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct, the sensor signal output by the respective piezoelectric transducer and deriving at least one contraction characteristic of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct on the basis of the analysis, wherein the step of attaching each of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct to a separate first support element comprises, for each of said at least one engineered heart tissue construct, attaching the respective engineered heart tissue construct to at least one second support element, each being spaced with at least a portion thereof from the respective first support element and each engaging the respective engineered heart tissue construct at a location spaced from a location at which the respective first support element engages the respective engineered heart tissue construct, so that it is suspended between the respective first support element and the respective at least one second support element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification