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Challenges and perspectives of heart repair with pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

Nature Cardiovascular Research volume 3, pages 515–524 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Here we aim at providing a concise but comprehensive overview of the perspectives and challenges of heart repair with pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. This Review comes at a time when consensus has been reached about the lack of relevant proliferative capacity of adult mammalian cardiomyocytes and the lack of new heart muscle formation with autologous cell sources. While alternatives to cell-based approaches will be shortly summarized, the focus lies on pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte repair, which entered first clinical trials just 2 years ago. In the view of the authors, these early trials are important but have to be viewed as early proof-of-concept trials in humans that will hopefully provide first answers on feasibility, safety and the survival of allogeneic pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte in the human heart. Better approaches have to be developed to make this approach clinically applicable.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2: Engrafted cardiomyocytes electrically couple and actively support heart function.

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Acknowledgements

Our work on this topic was supported by a Late Translational Research Grant from the German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), (81×2710153 to T.E.), the European Research Council (ERC-AG IndivuHeart to T.E.), the German Research Foundation (DFG, WE5620/3-1 to F.W. and T.E.) and the Werner Otto Stiftung (F.W.). Additionally, we have received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (874764 to T.E.) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 FetOpen RIA (964800; to F.W.).

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  1. Institute of Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany

    Thomas Eschenhagen & Florian Weinberger

  2. German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Hamburg/Kiel/Lübeck, Hamburg, Germany

    Thomas Eschenhagen & Florian Weinberger

  3. Cardiovascular Regeneration Program, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Madrid, Spain

    Florian Weinberger

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T.E. drafted the manuscript. F.W. provided substantial contributions to its content. T.E. and F.W. reviewed and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Thomas Eschenhagen.

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T.E. and F.W. contribute in a structured partnership between Evotec AG and the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) to originate a pluripotent stem cell-based remuscularization approach. They have no financial interest and did not obtain consultations fees.

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Eschenhagen, T., Weinberger, F. Challenges and perspectives of heart repair with pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Nat Cardiovasc Res 3, 515–524 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44161-024-00472-6

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