WNT and BMP regulate roadblocks toward cardiomyocyte differentiation: lessons learned from embryos inform human stem cell differentiation

The controlled differentiation of embryonic stem cells into specific cell types holds promise for cell-based therapies in patients, including for the treatment of conditions affecting the heart. In recent years, the isolation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), the discovery of ‘induced pluripotency’ and, last but not least, the numerous studies in developing embryos, using model organisms, have brought us closer to the ultimate goal of generating cardiomyocytes in the dish.