Birket, M.J. et al. Nat. Biotechnol. doi:10.1038/nbt.3271 (20 July 2015).

Multipotent cardiovascular progenitor cells (CPCs) can give rise to cells of the circulatory system, including cardiomyocytes and vascular precursors. When derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), CPCs can be powerful tools to understand cardiovascular development, study toxicology and treat disease. However, CPCs cannot be robustly expanded in culture. Birket et al. now use controlled MYC expression to slow the appearance of CPCs marked by an NKX2-5–GFP cardiac lineage marker in differentiating hPSC culture. The pure CPC populations that are generated can be expanded over more than 40 population doublings in the presence of insulin-like growth factor 1. By modulating fibroblast growth factor and bone morphogenetic protein signaling, as in normal heart development, the authors recapitulate features of cardiogenic mesoderm known as the early heart field and go on to generate a number of mature cardiovascular cell types.