BPoD has moved!

BPoD has recently changed our domain name - we can now be found at bpod.org.uk

Please update your bookmarks!

Now in our 13th year of bringing you beautiful imagery from biomedical science every day

Search the archive of over 4000 images

Drug Rings

Heart muscle rings grown in the lab can be used for heart drug screening

30 May 2020

Drug Rings

Drug screening is essential for finding new drugs to treat heart conditions. However, growing heart tissue that survives and functions well for screening is challenging. Researchers now present a new screening system — cardiac microrings grown from human stem cells in 3D-printed plates. Each plate contained multiple wells lined with collagen to help microring growth. The team tested 15 different setups, varying collagen concentration, the mix of different types of heart cells, and the number of cells placed in each well. The design of the wells enabled the team to image microrings using fluorescence microscopy (pictured) and measure their ability to contract. The conditions were ranked from worst to best (left to right) in terms of how well the microrings contracted. The best setup was then used to confirm that the microrings contracted as expected in response to known heart drugs, supporting the use of this platform for screening new drugs.

Written by Lux Fatimathas

Search The Archive

Submit An Image

Follow on Tumblr

Follow on Instagram

What is BPoD?

BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

Read More

BPoD is also available in Catalan at www.bpod.cat with translations by the University of Valencia.