Opportunities and challenges for the use of human samples in translational cardiovascular
research: a scientific statement of the ESC Working Group on Cellular Biology of the
Heart, the ESC Working Group on Cardiovascular Surgery, the ESC Council on Basic Cardiovascular
Science, the ESC Scientists of Tomorrow, the European Association of Percutaneous
Cardiovascular Interventions of the ESC, and the Heart Failure Association of the
ESC
Davidson, Sean M; Andreadou, Ioanna; Antoniades, Charalambos; Bartunek, Jozef; Basso, Cristina; Brundel, Bianca J J M; Byrne, Robert A; Chiva-Blanch, Gemma; da Costa Martins, Paula; Evans, Paul C; Girão, Henrique; Giricz, Zoltan [Giricz, Zoltán (Biokémia, Farmako...), szerző] Farmakológiai és Farmakoterápiás
Intézet (SE / AOK / I); Gollmann-Tepeköylü, Can; Guzik, Tomasz; Gyöngyösi, Mariann; Hübner, Norbert; Joner, Michael; Kleinbongard, Petra; Krieg, Thomas; Liehn, Elisa; Madonna, Rosalinda; Maguy, Ange; Paillard, Melanie; Pesce, Maurizio; Petersen, Steffen E; Schiattarella, Gabriele G; Sluijter, Joost P G; Steffens, Sabine; Streckfuss-Bömeke, Katrin; Thielmann, Matthias; Tucker, Art; Van Linthout, Sophie; Wijns, William; Wojta, Johann; Wu, Joseph C; Perrino, Cinzia ✉
Angol nyelvű Összefoglaló cikk (Folyóiratcikk) Tudományos
Animal models offer invaluable insights into disease mechanisms but cannot entirely
mimic the variability and heterogeneity of human populations, nor the increasing prevalence
of multi-morbidity. Consequently, employing human samples—such as whole blood or fractions,
valvular and vascular tissues, myocardium, pericardium, or human-derived cells—is
essential for enhancing the translational relevance of cardiovascular research. For
instance, myocardial tissue slices, which preserve crucial structural and functional
characteristics of the human heart, can be used in vitro to examine drug responses.
Human blood serves as a rich source of biomarkers, including extracellular vesicles,
various types of RNA (miRNA, lncRNA, and circRNAs), circulating inflammatory cells,
and endothelial colony-forming cells, facilitating detailed studies of cardiovascular
diseases. Primary cardiomyocytes and vascular cells isolated from human tissues are
invaluable for mechanistic investigations in vitro. In cases where these are unavailable,
human induced pluripotent stem cells serve as effective substitutes, albeit with specific
limitations. However, the use of human samples presents challenges such as ethical
approvals, tissue procurement and storage, variability in patient genetics and treatment
regimens, and the selection of appropriate control samples. Biobanks are central to
the efficient use of these scarce and valuable resources. This scientific statement
discusses opportunities to implement the use of human samples for cardiovascular research
within specific clinical contexts, offers a practical framework for acquiring and
utilizing different human materials, and presents examples of human sample applications
for specific cardiovascular diseases, providing a valuable resource for clinicians,
translational and basic scientists engaged in cardiovascular research.
