These investigators will pool their expertise to generate heart muscle from pluripotent stem cells. Pluripotent cells can be obtained from two sources. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are re-programmed from a patient's donor cells, which can therefore be transplanted without immune rejection. Embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines are derived from blastocysts obtained from in vitro fertilization clinics.

Specifically, the researchers will exploit the ability of stem cell-generated endoderm cells, the innermost of the three primary germ layers which induces the heart to develop in the embryo, to induce the pluripotent stem cells into cardiac myocytes, in numbers sufficient for remedial transplantation using animal models of heart disease. Therapeutic regeneration of diseased or damaged heart muscle with stem cells will depend on how efficiently the researchers can induce stem cells in culture dishes to develop into specialized endpoints of cardiac muscle maturation.

Success achieving these tasks will be promoted by synergy provided by the Medical College's many shared core facilities, and by the expertise of its world-class Cardiovascular Center and Human and Molecular Genetics Center to help meet these goals.

Ability to obtain this award was facilitated by local support from Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin, which provided grants to Drs. Duncan and Lough for preliminary aspects of the work.

Source: Medical College of Wisconsin