The role of extracellular matrix protein type on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte's sarcomere function

To improve the treatment of cardiomyopathies, we aim to understand more about the developmental biology of cardiomyocytes. This summer, I helped create a plan to help determine the role of extracellular matrix protein type on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte's sarcomere function. We will record videos of sarcomeres on three different substrates: fibronectin, laminin and matrigel. As protein composition of the heart changes through development and disease, we can learn about the effects of each through this. These videos will be analyzed by SarcTrack to determine the effects of the substrate on sarcomere contractility. We will then exclude any outliers and compare the mean values for the number of observations for each contractility parameter.