Organoid and Tissue Engineered Models for Cardiovascular Regeneration

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Many patients experience damage to heart or vascular tissue that the body cannot fully repair. This challenge has encouraged the rapid growth of regenerative medicine. Organoid systems and tissue engineered models now provide new ways to understand cardiovascular biology and to design stronger therapeutic strategies. These models offer controlled environments that support precise study of disease mechanisms and repair processes.

Stem cell technology plays a central role in this field. Pluripotent stem cells can generate cardiac cells, vascular cells, and supporting cell types. When they are grown in three dimensional systems, they form structures that behave like early human tissues. These organoid models help researchers study how cells communicate, how they organize during development, and how they respond to injury. They also allow controlled testing of molecules that influence regeneration.

Tissue engineered constructs offer another important platform. These constructs combine cells, scaffolds, and biochemical signals. They help recreate the physical and mechanical environment of the cardiovascular system. This approach supports the study of tissue stiffness, blood flow, oxygen levels, and mechanical strain. These factors strongly influence cell behavior during healing.

Cardiac organoids and engineered heart tissues help model heart failure, arrhythmia, and myocardial injury. They allow researchers to test potential treatments before moving into animal models or clinical studies. Vascular organoids also support research on endothelial function, smooth muscle cell behavior, and vessel stability. These models help identify factors that drive inflammation, fibrosis, and vascular remodeling.

Integration of stem cells into organoid and tissue engineered systems provides a path toward personalized regenerative medicine. Patient derived stem cells can be used to create cardiovascular tissues that reflect individual genetic backgrounds. These tissues help identify patient specific responses to drugs and growth factors. They also support research on rare cardiovascular disorders.

Continued progress in organoid and tissue engineering research offers great promise for clinical translation. These models help refine cell based therapies, improve graft survival, and enhance tissue integration. They also provide insight into safety, quality control, and long term function.

We welcome original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, mini reviews, and clinical case studies within the scope of this Research Topic. Submissions may include work on the following areas

• Development of cardiac organoids for modeling regeneration

• Stem cell based vascular organoids for studying vessel repair

• Tissue engineered heart constructs for functional recovery

• Molecular signals that guide stem cell driven cardiovascular repair

• Mechanical and biochemical cues in engineered cardiac tissues

• Patient specific organoid systems for personalized therapy

• Strategies that improve integration of engineered tissues in the heart

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Cardiac organoids, tissue engineering, cardiovascular regeneration, stem cell models, biomimetic scaffolds

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.