Organoids play an increasingly important role as in vitro models for studying organ development, disease mechanisms, and drug discovery. Organoids are self-organizing, organ-like three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures developing organ-specific cell types and functions. Recently, three groups independently developed self-assembling human heart organoids (hHOs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). In this study, we utilized a customized spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) system to characterize the growth of hHOs. Development of chamber structures and beating patterns of the hHOs were observed via OCT and calcium imaging. We demonstrated the capability of OCT to produce 3D images in a fast, label-free, and non-destructive manner. The hHOs formed cavities of various sizes, and complex interconnections were observed as early as on day 4 of differentiation. The hHOs models and the OCT imaging system showed promising insights as an in vitro platform for investigating heart development and disease mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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使用光学相干断层扫描对人类心脏类器官的纵向形态和功能表征

类器官在体外发挥越来越重要的作用用于研究器官发育、疾病机制和药物发现的模型。类器官是自组织的、类似器官的三维 (3D) 细胞培养物，可发展器官特异性细胞类型和功能。最近，三个小组从人类多能干细胞（hPSCs）中独立开发了自组装人类心脏类器官（hHOs）。在这项研究中，我们利用定制的光谱域光学相干断层扫描 (SD-OCT) 系统来表征 hHOs 的生长。通过 OCT 和钙成像观察室结构的发展和 hHO 的跳动模式。我们展示了 OCT 以快速、无标签和无损的方式生成 3D 图像的能力。hHOs 形成了各种大小的空腔，早在分化的第 4 天就观察到了复杂的相互连接。用于研究心脏发育和疾病机制的体外平台。