(272b) CAREER: Designing Embryonic Stem Cell Culture Systems Based On Developmental Microenvironments in the Heart

Embryonic stem (ES) cells provide promise as a pluripotent cell source for a host of diseased tissues. If ES cells are to realize this potential, efficient and scalable culture techniques to provide fully differentiated cell types must be developed. Clinical concerns over ES cell therapies include immunogenicity and tumorigenicity. Various strategies are currently being explored to ?tailor? cells towards specific patients to circumvent problems associated with immune rejection. The generation of tumors from pluripotent stem cells can be eliminated by using uniformly differentiated cells in cellular therapy and regenerative medicine. The full realization of ES cell technology depends on the development of culture techniques to transform pluripotent cells into differentiated, functional cell types for transplantation in an efficient, scalable manner. The primary goal of this project is to develop a culture system to generate a high number of differentiated mesodermal progenitor cells in vitro and a delivery system for the differentiation and retention of cardiovascular cells in vivo. We intend this process to serve as a model system for the translation of ES cells to other differentiated cell types based on an engineered approximation of the normal developmental program. The proposed culture system would provide a high efficiency, scalable methodology for cell propagation and differentiation resulting in a model solution for engineered cardiac tissue.