Regenerative medicine is demanded to treat heart disease. We found that a combination of the five cardiac-specific factors can directly reprogram human fibroblasts into cardiomyocyte-like cells. The cells beat synchronously in coculture with other cardiomyocytes, suggesting this new technology may facilitate future applications in regenerative medicine.
Researcher Information
JST CREST Research Area "Fundamental technologies for medicine concerning the generation and regulation of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells", Research Theme: "Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes by defined factors and its application to potential regenerative therapies"
Journal Information
Wada R, Muraoka N, Inagawa K, Yamakawa H, Miyamoto K, Sadahiro T, Umei T, Kaneda R, Suzuki T, Kamiya K, Tohyama S, Yuasa S, Kokaji K, Aeba R, Yozu R, Yamagishi H, Kitamura T, Fukuda K, and Ieda M. "Induction of Human Cardiomyocyte-like Cells from Fibroblasts by Defined Factors." Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2013
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1304053110
Contact
[About Research]
Masaki Ieda MD., 
Project Assistant Professor, Keio University
[About Program]
Life Innovation Group
Department of Innovation Research
Japan Science and Technology Agency
Takashi Kawaguchi 
URL: http://www.jst.go.jp/kisoken/crest/en/index.html