Derivation of endothelial cells and pericytes from human pluripotent stem cells

Abstract

Blood vessels serve as the lifeline of nearly all living tissue. Vascular cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells hold great potential for clinical use in the regeneration of diseased vasculature and construction of blood vessels in engineered tissue. By deriving these cells in a controllable and clinically relevant manner harnessing physiological cues, we can obtain populations of cells amenable for transplantation. In this chapter, we describe methods to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells toward a bicellular population of early vascular cells using low oxygen cues, guide these subpopulations into mature endothelial cells and pericytes, and expand the vascular derivatives.