Topics:
Basic Science
Session number: 1318
Session title: Human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes:
Are they the real thing?
Authors: Harding, Sian E. (London, GB)
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Human embryonic stem cells can reliably be differentiated into beating cardiac muscle cells (hESC-CM) which resemble adult heart in their electrical and contractile activity.
These hESC-CM are being developed for repair of the damaged heart, and also to create cardiac tissue in the dish to test new therapeutic strategies before going into man. It is therefore important to know how well they match the adult cardiac muscle they are designed to mimic or replace.
This lecture will directly compare adult human cardiac cells with hESC-CM in terms of their acute responses to hormones, calcium handling, signalling pathways, growth, proliferation, danger-sensing and death.
Teaching objective of the lecture:
- To describe the characteristics of hESC-CM and their methods of production.
- To compare their key short term responses and long term development with adult cells, and in this,
- To assess their maturity and suitability for use.
Take home messages:
- many receptor responses are similar in nature between adult and hESC-CM, but differ in sensitivity
- hESC-CM growth in size and organisation using known pathways, and in response to similar stimuli (stretch, catecholamines)
- hESC-CM differ in their danger-sensing, being more resistant than adult cardiac cells
The content of this article reflects the personal opinion of the
author/s and is not necessarily the official position of the
European Society of Cardiology.