TY - JOUR
T1 - Opportunities and challenges for the use of human samples in translational cardiovascular research
T2 - 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
AU - Davidson, Sean M
AU - Andreadou, Ioanna
AU - Antoniades, Charalambos
AU - Bartunek, Jozef
AU - Basso, Cristina
AU - Brundel, Bianca J J M
AU - Byrne, Robert A
AU - Chiva-Blanch, Gemma
AU - da Costa Martins, Paula
AU - Evans, Paul C
AU - Girão, Henrique
AU - Giricz, Zoltan
AU - Gollmann-Tepeköylü, Can
AU - Guzik, Tomasz
AU - Gyöngyösi, Mariann
AU - Hübner, Norbert
AU - Joner, Michael
AU - Kleinbongard, Petra
AU - Krieg, Thomas
AU - Liehn, Elisa
AU - Madonna, Rosalinda
AU - Maguy, Ange
AU - Paillard, Melanie
AU - Pesce, Maurizio
AU - Petersen, Steffen E
AU - Schiattarella, Gabriele G
AU - Sluijter, Joost P G
AU - Steffens, Sabine
AU - Streckfuss-Bömeke, Katrin
AU - Thielmann, Matthias
AU - Tucker, Art
AU - Van Linthout, Sophie
AU - Wijns, William
AU - Wojta, Johann
AU - Wu, Joseph C
AU - Perrino, Cinzia
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved.
PY - 2025/4
Y1 - 2025/4
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
U2 - 10.1093/cvr/cvaf023
DO - 10.1093/cvr/cvaf023
M3 - Article
C2 - 40084813
SN - 0008-6363
VL - 121
SP - 702
EP - 729
JO - Cardiovascular research
JF - Cardiovascular research
IS - 5
M1 - cvaf023
ER -