Stanford Scientists Create Heart Cells Out of Skin Cells

Want to give a Valentine’s Day gift unlike any other? How about giving your significant other a piece of your heart…well almost. Because it’s derived from special stem cells in your skin, there’s no chest cracking involved!
Stanford University researchers have successfully created actual working heart cells from stem cells in the skin. These induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have the capability to survive, thrive and divide in a dish as well as to differentiate into specific cell types. The researchers were able to convert the iPS cells into heart cells which spontaneously formed clusters that beat at 30 beats per minute. They hope to use this technology to better study heart diseases at the cellular level.
Video clips of the beating cardiac cells and article from Scope blog @ Stanford University…
Abstract in Nature: Using induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate cardiac phenotypes in Timothy syndrome.