Researchers are focusing on chemical (e.g., 5-azacytidine and p38 MAPK inhibitors) and biological (e.g., activin A, bone morphogenetic protein, basic FGF, VEGF and Dickkopf homolog 1) factors, genetic (e.g., miRNAs) and epigenetic (e.g., miRNAs and chromatin remodeling) manipulation, and mechanical factors (e.g., hydrodynamics and surface tension) to direct cardiomyocyte differentiation from hESCs. These approaches are complemented by purification methods that take advantage of the biochemical properties of human cardiomyocytes (e.g., Percoll density centrifugation and mitochondrial content), and selection strategies that rely on the expression of cardiac-specific genes (e.g., reporter lines and molecular beacons) and surface markers.
hESC: Human embryonic stem cell.