Since induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were first generated in 2006, they have been widely established as research platforms for elucidating disease mechanisms and for drug discovery research . Since iPS cells may be generated from somatic cells, such as skin fibroblasts or blood cells, they offer an ethical advantage over embryonic stem cells. In addition, recent progress in stem cell biology has enabled iPS cells to be efficiently differentiated and purified into subtypes of cardiomyocytes, such as ventricular, atrial and nodal cells as well as smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. Based on these advances, disease-specific iPS cells can be generated from patients with intractable cardiovascular diseases, such as inherited cardiomyopathies, to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying disease onset and/or the pathophysiological process. It is also conceivable that iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes can be utilized for drug screening. However, such iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes have not yet proven successful in recapitulating patients’ phenotypes. Although the limiting reasons for this matter may be attributed to “immature” properties of iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes compared to the native ones, much remain to be solved in this area of research that is quickly gaining traction from researchers.
This Research Topic welcomes papers tackling iPS cell-based disease modeling and/or drug discovery, and that address the above questions related to the cardiovascular field. Sub-topics may include, but are not limited to:
• approaches to elucidate underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases
• methods for phenotypic analyses employing culture systems/techniques to construct physiologically-relevant tissues such as three dimensional organoids.
Review and original research articles will be considered. This Research Topic hopes to foster discussion and potential strategies for iPS cell-based research in the cardiovascular fields.
Since induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were first generated in 2006, they have been widely established as research platforms for elucidating disease mechanisms and for drug discovery research . Since iPS cells may be generated from somatic cells, such as skin fibroblasts or blood cells, they offer an ethical advantage over embryonic stem cells. In addition, recent progress in stem cell biology has enabled iPS cells to be efficiently differentiated and purified into subtypes of cardiomyocytes, such as ventricular, atrial and nodal cells as well as smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells. Based on these advances, disease-specific iPS cells can be generated from patients with intractable cardiovascular diseases, such as inherited cardiomyopathies, to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying disease onset and/or the pathophysiological process. It is also conceivable that iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes can be utilized for drug screening. However, such iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes have not yet proven successful in recapitulating patients’ phenotypes. Although the limiting reasons for this matter may be attributed to “immature” properties of iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes compared to the native ones, much remain to be solved in this area of research that is quickly gaining traction from researchers.
This Research Topic welcomes papers tackling iPS cell-based disease modeling and/or drug discovery, and that address the above questions related to the cardiovascular field. Sub-topics may include, but are not limited to:
• approaches to elucidate underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases
• methods for phenotypic analyses employing culture systems/techniques to construct physiologically-relevant tissues such as three dimensional organoids.
Review and original research articles will be considered. This Research Topic hopes to foster discussion and potential strategies for iPS cell-based research in the cardiovascular fields.