Measuring what matters: Patient-specific functional assays for vascular disease

Across biomedical research, we increasingly recognize that understanding disease requires measuring function in human cells—not only molecular signatures. In CELLSYSTEMICS, we therefore developed a human measurement platform that combines standardized hiPSC differentiation, engineered vascular tissues, and quantitative functional readouts. From a simple blood sample, we generate patient-specific vascular muscle constructs whose contractility and drug response can be assessed in real time.

In the follow-up CARTA project, we are advancing the existing Cuore platform into a patient-specific assay to diagnose vascular smooth muscle cell dysfunction and enable in vitro screening of therapeutic options. Today I will show how integrating standardized media and scalable structure–function readouts brings human tissue models closer to routine use in research and personalized medicine.

– Koen Reesink –