Installing a "Live" Switch for the Heart: Chinese Scientists Achieve Neural Regulation of Heartbeat in a Petri Dish for the First Time
Release time:
2026-05-22
The heart’s tireless beating is made possible by a rice-sized "natural pacemaker" in the right atrium—the sinoatrial node. Acting like an indefatigable "commander," it continuously sends out electrical signals that direct the atria and ventricles to contract in harmony, pumping blood throughout the body. If this "commander" fails, the heartbeat slows or even stops, which can be life-threatening.
However, studying this "human heart switch" has been extremely challenging: the sinoatrial node is small, deeply embedded, and human samples are difficult to obtain. Animal models, such as mice, fail to accurately replicate the intricate regulation of human heart rhythm and the nervous system.
Recently, a research team led by Dr. Zeng An at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with other researchers, published a breakthrough in the international journal Cell Stem Cell. Using human pluripotent stem cells, they successfully constructed a human "biological pacemaker"—a sinoatrial node organoid—in a petri dish. For the first time, they connected it to a cardiac plexus organoid, achieving real-time neural regulation of the heartbeat.
Acting like "directors," the team mimicked key developmental signals and systematically guided stem cells to differentiate into three-dimensional sinoatrial node organoids. These sesame-sized organoids not only generated stable, spontaneous heartbeats but also exhibited the electrophysiological characteristics of a real sinoatrial node. When the researchers "connected" the organoid to an atrial-like organoid, electrical signals were transmitted from the sinoatrial node to the atrial tissue, faithfully replicating the entire "pacemaker-conduction" process seen in the body.
Even more critically, the scientists also "linked" the sinoatrial node organoid with a cardiac plexus organoid. As a result, neural signals could accelerate or decelerate the organoid's beating frequency—just as they do in the body. This marks the first time a complete "pacemaker + neural regulation" system has been reconstructed outside the human body.
"This provides an unprecedented living model for studying cardiac arrhythmias," said Dr. Zeng An. In the past, research relied on animal experiments, making it difficult to detect potential arrhythmic side effects of drugs in humans. Now, with a patient’s own stem cells, researchers can create a "personalized heart model" to test drug toxicity, screen treatment options, and even lay the groundwork for future battery-free, non-rejectable "biological pacemakers."
Industry experts believe this achievement represents a critical step forward for China in the fields of cardiac organoids and regenerative medicine, bringing new hope to hundreds of millions of arrhythmia patients worldwide.
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