TY - JOUR A1 - Goßmann, Matthias A1 - Frotscher, Ralf A1 - Linder, Peter A1 - Bayer, Robin A1 - Epple, U. A1 - Staat, Manfred A1 - Temiz Artmann, Aysegül A1 - Artmann, Gerhard T1 - Mechano-pharmacological characterization of cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells JF - Cellular physiology and biochemistry N2 - Background/Aims: Common systems for the quantification of cellular contraction rely on animal-based models, complex experimental setups or indirect approaches. The herein presented CellDrum technology for testing mechanical tension of cellular monolayers and thin tissue constructs has the potential to scale-up mechanical testing towards medium-throughput analyses. Using hiPS-Cardiac Myocytes (hiPS-CMs) it represents a new perspective of drug testing and brings us closer to personalized drug medication. Methods: In the present study, monolayers of self-beating hiPS-CMs were grown on ultra-thin circular silicone membranes and deflect under the weight of the culture medium. Rhythmic contractions of the hiPS-CMs induced variations of the membrane deflection. The recorded contraction-relaxation-cycles were analyzed with respect to their amplitudes, durations, time integrals and frequencies. Besides unstimulated force and tensile stress, we investigated the effects of agonists and antagonists acting on Ca²⁺ channels (S-Bay K8644/verapamil) and Na⁺ channels (veratridine/lidocaine). Results: The measured data and simulations for pharmacologically unstimulated contraction resembled findings in native human heart tissue, while the pharmacological dose-response curves were highly accurate and consistent with reference data. Conclusion: We conclude that the combination of the CellDrum with hiPS-CMs offers a fast, facile and precise system for pharmacological, toxicological studies and offers new preclinical basic research potential. KW - Inotropic compounds KW - Pharmacology KW - Ion channels KW - CellDrum KW - Heart tissue culture KW - Induced pluripotent stem cells KW - Cardiac myocytes Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000443124 SN - 1421-9778 (Online) SN - 1015-8987 (Print) VL - 38 IS - 3 SP - 1182 EP - 1198 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kowalski, Julia A1 - Linder, Peter A1 - Zierke, S. A1 - Wulfen, B. van A1 - Clemens, J. A1 - Konstantinidis, K. A1 - Ameres, G. A1 - Hoffmann, R. A1 - Mikucki, J. A1 - Tulaczyk, S. A1 - Funke, O. A1 - Blandfort, D. A1 - Espe, Clemens A1 - Feldmann, Marco A1 - Francke, Gero A1 - Hiecker, S. A1 - Plescher, Engelbert A1 - Schöngarth, Sarah A1 - Dachwald, Bernd A1 - Digel, Ilya A1 - Artmann, Gerhard A1 - Eliseev, D. A1 - Heinen, D. A1 - Scholz, F. A1 - Wiebusch, C. A1 - Macht, S. A1 - Bestmann, U. A1 - Reineking, T. A1 - Zetzsche, C. A1 - Schill, K. A1 - Förstner, R. A1 - Niedermeier, H. A1 - Szumski, A. A1 - Eissfeller, B. A1 - Naumann, U. A1 - Helbing, K. T1 - Navigation technology for exploration of glacier ice with maneuverable melting probes JF - Cold Regions Science and Technology N2 - The Saturnian moon Enceladus with its extensive water bodies underneath a thick ice sheet cover is a potential candidate for extraterrestrial life. Direct exploration of such extraterrestrial aquatic ecosystems requires advanced access and sampling technologies with a high level of autonomy. A new technological approach has been developed as part of the collaborative research project Enceladus Explorer (EnEx). The concept is based upon a minimally invasive melting probe called the IceMole. The force-regulated, heater-controlled IceMole is able to travel along a curved trajectory as well as upwards. Hence, it allows maneuvers which may be necessary for obstacle avoidance or target selection. Maneuverability, however, necessitates a sophisticated on-board navigation system capable of autonomous operations. The development of such a navigational system has been the focal part of the EnEx project. The original IceMole has been further developed to include relative positioning based on in-ice attitude determination, acoustic positioning, ultrasonic obstacle and target detection integrated through a high-level sensor fusion. This paper describes the EnEx technology and discusses implications for an actual extraterrestrial mission concept. Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2015.11.006 SN - 0165-232X IS - 123 SP - 53 EP - 70 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER -