Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
08:00
Derivation of Cardiac Progenitor Cells from Embryonic Stem Cells
Published on: January 12, 2015
Embryonic Stem Cells as a Model for Cardiac Development and Disease
1Department of Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University.
Drug Discovery Today. Disease Models
|October 6, 2009
Summary
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) offer a promising source for cardiovascular disease research and therapy. Advances in ESC and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology are paving the way for novel regenerative treatments.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Research
- Stem Cell Biology
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are increasingly utilized for studying cardiovascular diseases.
- ESCs provide a valuable in vitro system for generating progenitor cells crucial for heart development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in utilizing ESC systems for cardiovascular disease research and treatment.
- To explore the potential of ESCs and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in generating cardiac cells and understanding heart development.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing ESCs in aggregates (embryoid bodies) to mimic cardiac development.
- Employing defined culture conditions to identify genes and signaling pathways promoting cardiogenesis.
- Investigating transplant assays to evaluate the therapeutic potential of cardiac progenitors post-infarction.
Main Results:
- ESCs have been used to identify novel cardiac precursors and map lineage relationships.
- Systematic identification of genes and signaling pathways crucial for cardiogenesis has been achieved.
- Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology offers a route for autologous transplantation and patient-specific disease modeling.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing cardiac progenitor production from ESCs/iPSCs is key for regenerative therapies.
- Tissue engineering and understanding cell integration are vital for successful cell-based cardiovascular treatments.
- ESC and iPSC advancements hold significant promise for future cardiovascular disease therapies.
Related Concept Videos
01:21EPS and iPS Cells in Disease Research
Embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells are excellent models for disease research because of their ability to self-renew and differentiate into most cell types. Somatic cells from a patient are isolated and reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs. These iPSCs are later differentiated into the desired cell type, which mirrors the diseased cell of the patient. In this way, disease models have been created for investigating diseases such as Down syndrome, type I diabetes,...
00:58Embryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
00:57Embryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
01:17Stem Cell Culture
Stem cell research aims to find ways to use stem cells to regenerate and repair cellular damage. Over time, most adult cells undergo the wear and tear of aging and lose their ability to divide and repair themselves. Stem cells do not display a particular morphology or function. Adult stem cells, which exist as a small subset of cells in most tissues, keep dividing and can differentiate into a number of specialized cells generally formed by that tissue. These cells enable the body to renew and...
01:22iPS Cell Differentiation
The ability of induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs to differentiate into most body cell types has stimulated repair and regenerative medicine research over the past few decades. iPSC-derived blood cells, hepatocytes, beta islet cells, cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other cell types can repair injuries or regenerate damaged tissue in diseases such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.