FLEISCHER
LAB
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
In this study, we developed the milliPillar technology for engineering human cardiac tissue models. By integrating tissue assembly, electromechanical stimulation, and real-time functional assessment into a unified and streamlined pipeline, this technology enhances accessibility for non-specialized laboratories and improves reproducibility, advancing applications in disease modeling and drug discovery.
Myocardial involvement affects up to half of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, yet the mechanisms driving cardiac injury remain poorly understood. Using our engineered human cardiac tissue models, we demonstrated that distinct patient subgroups harbor pathogenic antibody profiles that differentially impair cardiac function. We further identify candidate autoantibodies that act directly on the heart muscle, providing a foundation for improved risk stratification and targeted therapeutic strategies.
Most in vitro vascular models fail to capture the heterogeneity and dynamic nature of endothelial barriers across organs and disease states. To addres this, here, we developed optoBarrier, an organ-on-a-chip platform that uses optogenetics to modulate endothelial barrier permeability on demand with light, in a tunable, dose-dependent, and fully reversible manner.