Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocyte models offer innovative platforms for understanding atrial fibrillation mechanisms and drug screening compared to traditional animal models.
Heart rhythm disorders, arrhythmias, place a huge economic burden on society and have a large impact on the quality of life of a vast number of people. Arrhythmias can have genetic causes but primarily arise from heart tissue remodeling during aging or heart disease. As current therapies do not address the causes of arrhythmias but only manage the symptoms, it is of paramount importance to generate innovative test models and platforms for gaining knowledge about the underlying disease mechanisms which are compatible with drug screening. In this review, we outline the most important features of atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common cardiac arrhythmia. We will discuss the epidemiology, risk factors, underlying causes, and present therapies of AFib, as well as the shortcomings and opportunities of current models for cardiac arrhythmia, including animal models, in silico and in vitro models utilizing human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes.
Cofiño‐Fabrés et al. (Wed,) conducted a review in Atrial fibrillation. Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocyte models vs. Animal and in silico models was evaluated. Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocyte models offer innovative platforms for understanding atrial fibrillation mechanisms and drug screening compared to traditional animal models.