In its role as an industry research partner, InnoSer is pleased to announce the successful completion of the CARDIOIDS project, a consortium-led initiative led by Professor Leon de Windt at Maastricht University. This project represents a major milestone in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) research, contributing to the development of innovative disease models that deepen scientific understanding of ACM and pave the way for new treatment possibilities.  

The CARDIOIDS (Comparative testing of human cARDiac organOIDs with animal models of inherited heart diseaSe) project has led to the development of unique, advanced specialized in vivo ACM model harboring a prevalent patient mutation (human PKP2 p.Arg79X knock-in), along with 2D and 3D in vitro human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) models of human cardiomyocytes and cardiac organoids.  

Working alongside Professor Leon de Windt, InnoSer supported the project’s goals by providing essential expertise and facility management resources pertaining to the animal model of ACM. InnoSer’s and Maastricht University’s joint expertise in non-invasive echocardiography, electrophysiology, and phenotypic analyses enabled the comprehensive evaluation of this model, providing a valuable foundation for translating the findings into patient-focused research.  

Given ACM’s prevalence, estimated between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 5,000, and its profound impact on young adults, developing more accurate research models is essential. The advanced experimental models developed as a result of the CARDIOIDS project more closely replicate the clinical disease phenotype observed in ACM patients and can be used as a drug screening tool for development of new treatments not only for ACM, but also for heart diseases in general. By harnessing the predictive potential of these new rare cardiac disease models, this project paves the way for future developments in precision medicine and drug screening, fostering a new generation of personalized, effective treatments.  

This project was supported by Health~Holland, also known as Stichting LSH-TKI.  

Read more about the research performed by Professor de Windt’s here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=De+Windt+LJ&cauthor_id=39086972.