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What is the Value of iPSC Technology in Cardiac Research?
Medical review by Joshua Mansour, M.D.
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are important tools in many areas of cardiac research including disease modeling, drug development & transplantation.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease, specifically ischemic heart disease, is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Cardiovascular diseases result in an estimated 17.9 million deaths each year. This is about 31% of all deaths worldwide (1). Medical researchers are continually working on ways to reduce those numbers, including the development of new technologies to combat premature deaths from cardiovascular diseases. This article will focus, in particular, on the value of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in cardiac research.
What are induced pluripotent stem cells?
iPSCs are a type of pluripotent stem cell. These are master cells that can differentiate into any cell or tissue the body needs. They are generated directly from somatic cells through ectopic expression of various transcription factors, such as
They’ve become key tools to model biological processes, particularly in cell types that are difficult to access from living…
