Human heart tissue from pluripotent stem cells and its applications

Pluripotent stem cells represent an amazing tool box for generating virtually any cell tissue of the human body such as, for instance, spontaneously beating cardiac muscle tissue. How this actually works and how the process can be controlled better was recently revealed. Two regulatory switches inside the cells need to be manipulated at the right time. This surprisingly simple procedure may be used for studying the mechanisms underlying genetic cardiac disorders and for evaluating putative drugs.