Keio University

Newly Developed Multilayered Human Skeletal Muscle Tissue Model and Contractile Force Measurement System Useful for Myopathy Research

Publish: December 23, 2022
Public Relations Office

December 23, 2022

Tokyo Women's Medical University

Keio University

A group led by Lecturer Hironobu Takahashi and Professor Tatsuya Shimizu of the Institute of Advanced Biomedical Engineering and Science at Tokyo Women's Medical University, in collaboration with a group led by Associate Professor Kenichi Nagase of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Keio University, has developed a technology to create a human skeletal muscle tissue model with high contractile force. Furthermore, by combining this with a system capable of quantitatively measuring contractile force, they have developed a technology that can decipher the effects of specific drugs on muscle from changes in contractile force.

  • Succeeded in creating a highly accurate human muscle tissue that structurally and functionally mimics living tissue.

  • Constructed a muscle tissue with high contractile force using a proprietary cell sheet stacking technology.

  • The muscle tissue model is compatible with a system that can quantitatively measure changes in muscle contraction.

  • The muscle tissue model can reproduce in vitro how muscle contractile force increases or decreases in response to drugs.

  • It is expected to be a useful muscle tissue model and contractile force measurement system for future drug discovery research on myopathies.

Please see below for the full press release.

Press Release (PDF)