Human iPSC-derived heart valve-like assembloids model valve development and disease pathology

Cell stem cell 2026 Open access

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Authors: Yuanhang He, Abbas Jalili, Carter B. Jones, Haoting He, Lameck Beni, Daniel N. Lamont, Junqi Hu, Macy Yost, Lance A. Davidson, Siyang Zheng, Guang Li
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2026.07.011
Cited by: 1
References: 51

Abstract

Heart valves maintain unidirectional blood flow, yet most understanding of their development and disease comes from animal models that do not fully capture human valve behavior. We present a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived valve-like assembloid platform that models key aspects of in vivo valve features at the cellular and molecular levels. We found that mechanical forces, endothelial culture conditions, and fluidic shear stress respectively promote valve induction, maintenance, and extracellular matrix stratification. We further used this system to model human valve defects, including genetic mutations, injury, and hyperglycemia-related abnormalities. This assembloid platform enables the in vitro study of human valve development and disease mechanisms.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Cardiac Valve Diseases and Treatments Congenital heart defects research Cardiomyopathy and Myosin Studies

Publication details

Journal / source
Cell stem cell
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Volume
33
Issue
9
Pages
1514–1527.e9
Publication date
11 August 2026
Language
EN