Testing the cardiotoxicity of anti-cancer treatments on cardiac spheroids in vitro.

Our latest project is testing the cardiotoxicity of some anti-cancer treatments on in vitro cardiac spheroids developed in the laboratory (Anaëlle Fratard’s thesis).

Developments in cancer treatments have improved the quality of patient care and their survival. However, some anti-cancer therapies are associated with toxicity, particularly cardiotoxicity. This leads to the development of cardiovascular disease of varying degrees of severity, and ultimately, for some patients, death.

Among these therapies, we are studying certain chemotherapies and targeted therapies used in particular in the treatment of breast cancer and showing cardiotoxicity in these patients.

To this end, cardiac spheroids are being developed from human heart cells and will be used for our toxicity tests.

 

 

The cardiac spheroids were then harvested and embedded in paraffin. Sections were then cut and a haematoxylin and eosin stain was applied to observe the structure of the spheroids under the light microscope.

 

 

We are also highlighting the spheroids using a nuclear marker (in blue) in fluorescence. It was very funny to observe for the first time a cardiac spheroid in the shape of … a heart!

 

 

Further tests are currently under way. Stay tuned!