Human Cardiac Organoids: Advances and Prospects from Construction to Preclinical Drug Evaluation

Chen, Meng; Zhang, Tianyi; Yang, Sheng; Niu, Yiru; Ge, Yiling; Chen, Zaozao; Zhang, Juan; Pu, Yuepu; Gu, Zhongze; Liang, Geyu

doi:10.3390/cells15010007

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Open AccessReview

Human Cardiac Organoids: Advances and Prospects from Construction to Preclinical Drug Evaluation

by

Meng Chen

^1,2,†,

Tianyi Zhang

^1,2,†,

Sheng Yang

^1,2

,

Yiru Niu

^1,2,

Yiling Ge

^1,2,

Zaozao Chen

^2,3

,

Juan Zhang

¹

,

Yuepu Pu

¹,

Zhongze Gu

^2,3,* and

Geyu Liang

^1,*

¹

Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China

²

Institute of Biomedical Devices (Suzhou), Southeast University, Suzhou 215163, China

³

State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Cells 2026, 15(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15010007

Submission received: 22 November 2025 / Revised: 13 December 2025 / Accepted: 17 December 2025 / Published: 19 December 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells)

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Abstract

Drug-induced cardiotoxicity (DICT) severely hampers drug development and threatens patient safety. Together with the growing global burden of cardiovascular disease, there is an urgent need to establish more predictive preclinical models. Recently, human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac organoids (hCOs) have emerged as a promising three-dimensional in vitro model, achieving significant progress in simulating the complex structure and function of the human heart. However, existing reviews predominantly focus on technical construction or specific applications, lacking an integrated discussion of pathological model construction and their use under evolving regulatory frameworks. This review distinguishes itself by proposing a novel, holistic framework that bridges “construction technology,” “pathological modeling,” and “application evaluation.” We systematically categorize and summarize three major strategies for building hCO-based pathological models: patient-specific, gene-edited, and microenvironment-modulated approaches. Furthermore, we highlight the unique advantages of hCOs in preclinical drug assessment and detail their cutting-edge applications in early DICT warning, metabolism-related safety evaluation, and personalized drug evaluation. Finally, we address current challenges, including maturation and standardization, and outline future directions involving integration with organ-on-a-chip technology and artificial intelligence. This review aims to provide a theoretical foundation and roadmap toward more reliable and human-relevant drug development paradigms.

Keywords: cardiac organoids; preclinical studies; drug evaluation; pathological models

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MDPI and ACS Style

Chen, M.; Zhang, T.; Yang, S.; Niu, Y.; Ge, Y.; Chen, Z.; Zhang, J.; Pu, Y.; Gu, Z.; Liang, G. Human Cardiac Organoids: Advances and Prospects from Construction to Preclinical Drug Evaluation. Cells 2026, 15, 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15010007

AMA Style

Chen M, Zhang T, Yang S, Niu Y, Ge Y, Chen Z, Zhang J, Pu Y, Gu Z, Liang G. Human Cardiac Organoids: Advances and Prospects from Construction to Preclinical Drug Evaluation. Cells. 2026; 15(1):7. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15010007

Chicago/Turabian Style

Chen, Meng, Tianyi Zhang, Sheng Yang, Yiru Niu, Yiling Ge, Zaozao Chen, Juan Zhang, Yuepu Pu, Zhongze Gu, and Geyu Liang. 2026. "Human Cardiac Organoids: Advances and Prospects from Construction to Preclinical Drug Evaluation" Cells 15, no. 1: 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15010007

APA Style

Chen, M., Zhang, T., Yang, S., Niu, Y., Ge, Y., Chen, Z., Zhang, J., Pu, Y., Gu, Z., & Liang, G. (2026). Human Cardiac Organoids: Advances and Prospects from Construction to Preclinical Drug Evaluation. Cells, 15(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells15010007

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Human Cardiac Organoids: Advances and Prospects from Construction to Preclinical Drug Evaluation

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