Cardiac fibrosis characterised by increased collagen deposition and extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling is one of the main causes of heart failure. Inflammation and hypoxia are key processes leading to cardiac fibrosis although the mechanisms are poorly understood. In this study, we developed an innovative 3D bioprinted model of cardiac fibrosis using tunable matrices. The role of an anti-angiogenic protein, FK506 binding protein like (FKBPL) was then elucidated, for the first time, using both 2D and 3D bioprinted, models of cardiac fibrosis.
