Mapping the landscape of PSC-CM research through bibliometric analysis

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Cardiovascular Research

Background:

• Pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (PSC-CMs) are crucial for understanding heart disease and advancing cardiac therapies.
• PSC-CM research supports engineered cardiac tissues, regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and cardiotoxicity assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To visualize the 18-year research trajectory of PSC-CMs.
• To identify emerging research frontiers and challenges in the field.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of PSC-CM literature (2007-2024) from Web of Science and PubMed.
• Visualization using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software.
• Summary of clinical trials from ClinicalTrials.gov.

Main Results:

• Over 6,406 papers published by 29,660 authors from 81 countries; research peaked in 2021.
• The United States leads in PSC-CM research, with Stanford University and Joseph C. Wu as prominent contributors.
• Key research areas include organ-on-a-chip, 3D bio-printing, cardiac organoids, inflammation, metabolism, and atrial fibrillation.

Conclusions:

• Future research will focus on engineered cardiac tissues, exosome therapy, inflammation, metabolism, atrial fibrillation, and personalized medicine.
• Cardiac organoids represent a significant emerging frontier for in vitro heart modeling.
• Clinical translation of stem-cell therapies for heart disease faces challenges requiring protocol optimization and standardization.