Experimental Apparatus for Evaluation of Calcium Fluctuations in Cardiomyocytes Derived from Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

In this work, we developed and tested an experimental apparatus to evaluate calcium fluctuations in cardiomyocytes derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-CM). The set-up is composed of a signal module for registration and analysis of the signals and a perfusion chamber. This chamber allows the maintenance of the cells, control of perfusion and temperature, and electric stimulation. The signal module consists of a CCD camera attached to a fluorescence microscope with the appropriate software and hardware for eliciting and recording fluorescent signals originating from hiPSC-CM intracellular Ca+2 concentration changes, under electrical stimulation. We employed this system for analysis of calcium fluctuation from hiPSC-CM cultivated on micro textured polyethylene terephthalate surfaces.