Understanding Intracellular Signaling Advances Cardiac Reprogramming Technology Toward Clinical Applications

The direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into functional cardiac myocytes is expected to bring new cell therapies for heart failure. Already, essential transcription factors for the reprogramming have been identified. However, several obstacles must be overcome before this technology benefits patients. In particular, there is a need to improve the efficiency of the reprogramming, especially with regards to acquiring mature cardiomyocytes. A recent article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that the reprogramming can be enhanced with the addition of a kinase, Akt, to the induction protocol. ©2016 American Heart Association, Inc.