Investigators: Samantha Bremner, David Mack, Nathan Sniadecki
Cardiac disease is the leading cause of death in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells bearing DMD dystrophin mutations to create 3-dimensional cardiac tissue. These are mounted suspended between rigid and flexible posts, so that extent of deflection of the flexible post provides a measure of the force of muscle contraction, revealing DMD-associated defects in contractile force and beat rate.
