Advanced technologies for engineering heart tissues

In this talk I will describe cutting-edge technologies for engineering functional cardiac tissues and whole hearts. I will focus on the design of new biomaterials mimicking the natural microenvironment, or releasing biofactors to promote stem cell recruitment and tissue protection. In addition, I will discuss the development of patient-specific materials and 3D-printing of personalized vascularized tissues and organs. Finally, I will show a new direction in tissue engineering, where micro and nanoelectronics are integrated within engineered tissues to form cyborg tissues.