Reverse engineering life: physical and chemical mimetics for controlled stem cell differentiation into cardiomyocytes.

Gary R Skuse, Kathleen A Lamkin-Kennard

Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) 2013

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Our ability to manipulate stem cells in order to induce differentiation along a desired developmental pathway has improved immeasurably in recent years. That is in part because we have a better understanding of the intracellular and extracellular signals that regulate differentiation. However, there has also been a realization that stem cell differentiation is not regulated only by chemical signals but also by the physical milieu in which a particular stem cell exists. In this regard we are challenged to mimic both chemical and physical environments. Herein we describe a method to induce stem cell differentiation into cardiomyocytes using a combination of chemical and physical cues. This method can be applied to produce differentiated cells for research and potentially for cell-based therapy of cardiomyopathies.

Citation

Gary R Skuse, Kathleen A Lamkin-Kennard. Reverse engineering life: physical and chemical mimetics for controlled stem cell differentiation into cardiomyocytes. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.). 2013;1001:99-114