DGIST and POSTECH print 3D human muscle tissue models that reproduce age-related decline in contraction

Teams from DGIST and POSTECH built a laboratory 3D skeletal muscle microtissue from cells of 17- and 68-year-old donors. Tissue from the older donor contracted more weakly.

DGIST (Department of New Biology, Prof. Min-seok Kim) and POSTECH (Department of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. Dong-Woo Cho) have developed a biomimetic 3D skeletal muscle microtissue model, cnbnews.com reports. It reproduces both ageing of human muscle and the decline in contractile function cnbnews.com.

The team used muscle cells and decellularized extracellular matrix from 17- and 68-year-old donors and 3D-printed unidirectionally aligned tissue, as in real muscle. Tissue from the older donor had thinner fibers, lower mitochondrial function and calcium response, and weaker contractile force than tissue from the younger one.

Prof. Kim said the work lays a basis for reproducing ageing-related changes with human cells and assessing contraction at the same time. The team plans to develop it into a tool for studying causes of muscle ageing and verifying the efficacy of therapeutic candidates.