ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiac organoids hold great promise for cardiovascular modeling, yet their application is often hindered by structural heterogeneity and a lack of standardized maturation metrics. Furthermore, conventional histological methods are invasive, preventing the continuous tracking of developmental trajectories within a single sample. In this study, we utilized high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) to longitudinally monitor the morphological evolution of cardiac organoids over a 49-day culture period. Non-invasive imaging performed every two days allowed for the real-time visualization of key structural milestones without disrupting the culture environment. High-resolution observation revealed changes in morphological heterogeneity and cavity formation during the differentiation process of organoids. These morphological dynamics were corroborated by histological validation, confirming the fidelity of the OCT images. Our findings demonstrate that OCT serves as a powerful, non-destructive tool for characterizing the structural timeline of cardiac organoids, offering a new standard for quality control and developmental analysis.

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