Recent progress using pluripotent stem cells for cardiac regenerative therapy

Abstract

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have gained interest for cell-based regenerative therapies because of their capacity to differentiate into most somatic cell types, including cardiomyocytes. Remarkable progress in the generation of PSC-derived cardiomyocytes has been made in this decade, and recent preclinical transplantation studies using various animal models have provided proof-of-principle for their use in heart regeneration. However, several obstacles preclude their effective and safe clinical application for cardiac repair, including the need for approaches that prevent tumorigenesis, arrhythmogenesis, and immune rejection. In this review, we focus on recent progress in the field of PSC-based cardiac regenerative therapy, including the remaining hurdles and potential approaches to circumventing them.