News

The human heart pumps ~70 ml blood per beat which is ~5 l per minute. Cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) are the working horse in this system. In the heart cardiomyocytes are organized in a complex 3-dimensional tissue. They are functionally and structurally coupled to variety of other cell types, e.g. endothelial cells, fibroblasts, vascular smooth muscle cells, but also immune cells such as macrophages. Even though they make up most of the heart`s volume only 20% to 30% of the heart`s cells are cardiomyocytes. Cardiac tissue engineering was established to study tissue organization and heart muscle function in a 3D environment in a dish.

I have just joined the FETOpen RIA funded OrganVision project at UiT. Surrounded by the Norwegian sea, snow-covered hills, and northern lights, UiT enjoys a fantastic location in the heart of Tromsø, Norway. The island of Tromsø is no less than ...