Featured Review Cell Science Reviews Vol 6 No 3 ISSN 1742-8130

Induced pluripotent stem cells for heart failure

The addition of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to the area of stem cell biology holds great promise for regenerative medicine. These cells, which are by all accounts similar to embryonic stem cells, are simple to derive and differentiate. For cardiovascular research, where researchers often work with limited tissue from human biopsies, the abundance of cells that can be derived from patients using iPS cells could soon see the concept of ‘disease in a dish' become a reality. In addition to studying disease, iPS cells are likely to play a vital role in advancing toxicity studies and eventually in providing a source for cellular replenishment after injury. In this review we summarise the recent progress in iPS cell research, and compare the potential of induced and embryonic stem cells for cardiac regeneration.

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