Innovative Biomaterial Demonstrates Potential to Reverse Heart Aging

Recent advancements in regenerative medicine have revealed promising insights into combating cardiac aging. Researchers from the National University of Singapore have developed a pioneering lab-grown hybrid biomaterial called DECIPHER, which closely mimics the heart's extracellular matrix (ECM) to study its role in aging. The ECM—comprising proteins and biochemical signals—surrounds heart cells, providing structural support and guiding cellular functions. As the heart ages, the ECM becomes stiffer and undergoes compositional changes that negatively impact cell health, leading to scarring and reduced cardiac performance.

The team, led by Assistant Professor Jennifer Young, utilized DECIPHER to independently control the physical stiffness and biochemical cues of the ECM, allowing for precise analysis of their effects on heart cells. Experiments demonstrated that when aged heart cells were placed on scaffolds mimicking youthful biochemical signals, they reverted to a healthier, more functional state—even if the scaffold remained stiff. Conversely, young cells exhibited dysfunction when exposed to aged ECM cues, regardless of scaffold stiffness.

This research highlights that biochemical signals in the ECM have a more significant impact on cell aging than physical stiffness alone. The findings suggest that restoring youthful biochemical environments could be a viable strategy to reverse some age-related cardiac damage. Furthermore, the DECIPHER platform offers potential to investigate other tissues affected by aging, as changes in tissue stiffness and biochemical composition are common in various age-related diseases like fibrosis and cancer.

While still in the experimental phase, this groundbreaking approach opens new avenues for therapies focused on modifying the tissue environment to preserve or restore heart function during aging. The methodology could also be adapted for broader biomedical research, targeting tissue-specific aging and disease processes across the body.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-06-hybrid-biomaterial-aging-heart-reversed.html