Stepwise Chemically Induced Cardiomyocyte Specification of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

摘要

Because human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can differentiate into all cardiac lineages, including atrial, ventricular and pacemaker cells, they are a potential source of cardiomyocytes for cell-based therapy, as well as a useful tool for studies of early embryonic cardiac development. Previous studies generated cardiomyocytes from hESCs by first forming three-dimensional embryoid bodies which were then treated with a combinantion of Wnt, Activin, and BMP proteins in an attempt to recapitulate the key events that regulate cardiogensis.