Figure 3.

Overview of the Current Applications Reported That Have Used hPSC-Derived Cardiovascular Models to Investigate Pathological Aspects of COVID-19

hPSC-derived CMs, vascular organoids, and EHTs have been either infected with SARS-CoV-2 or exposed to conditions mimicking a cytokine storm. Findings include impaired CM contractility and electrophysiology, sarcomeric fragmentation, and loss of nuclei. Gene expression analysis also has indicated dysregulated sarcomeric contractile and structural transcription, as well as activation of innate inflammatory responses. The models have also been applied in antibody and compound screens for identifying potential therapeutic treatments.