Enrichment of live unlabelled cardiomyocytes from heterogeneous cell populations using manipulation of cell settling velocity by magnetic field

The majority of available cardiomyocyte markers are intercellular proteins, limiting our ability to enrich live cardiomyocytes from heterogeneous cell preparations in the absence of genetic labeling. Here, we describe enrichment of live cardiomyocytes from the hearts of adult mice in a label-free microfluidic approach. The separation device consisted of a vertical column (15 mm long, 700 μm diameter), placed between permanent magnets resulting in a field strength of 1.23 T. To concentrate the field at the column wall, the column was wrapped with 69 μm diameter nickel wire. Before passing the cells through the column, the cardiomyocytes in the cell suspension had been rendered paramagnetic by treatment of the adult mouse heart cell preparation with sodium nitrite (2.5 mM) for 20 min on ice. The cell suspension was loaded into the vertical column from the top and upon settling, the non-myocytes were removed by the upward flow from the column. The cardiomyocytes were then collected from the column by applying a higher flow rate (144 μl/min). We found that by applying a separation flow rate of 4.2 μl/min in the first step, we can enrich live adult cardiomyocytes to 93% ± 2% in a label-free manner. The cardiomyocytes maintained viability immediately after separation and upon 24 h in culture. © 2013 American Institute of Physics

A summary of results in modeling plaque formation and development, cochlea mechanics and vestibular disorders

In this review we presented scientific results from three EC FP7 projects: ARTREAT, SIFEM and EMBALANCE. The title of FP7 ARTREAT project was: Multi-level patient-specific artery and atherogenesis model for outcome prediction, decision support treatment, and virtual hand-on training. Researchers from University of Kragujevac and BioIRC participated in this project. Original method for plaque formation and development was developed and validated on the pilot study patients for the coronary and carotid arteries in EU clinical centers. Another FP7 project was SIFEM with the title: Semantic Infostructure interlinking an open source Finite Element tool and libraries with a model repository for the multi-scale Modelling and 3d visualization of the inner-ear. Methodology for cochlea model with tapered and rectangular basilar membrane with passive and active model was developed. The main part of EMBALANCE FP7 project was modelling of vertigo diseases. Threedimensional biomechanical model of the semi-circular canals is described with full 3D fluidstructure interaction of particles, wall, cupula deformation and endolymph fluid flow. The model is compared with clinical data and nystagmus measurement on the vertigo patients