Scientists have grown three types of human heart cells in the lab, using cultures derived from embryonic stem cells.

Researchers supplied embryonic stem cell cultures with a cocktail of growth factors and other molecules involved in development. By providing the right growth factors at the right time, the cells were encouraged to grow into immature versions of three different types of cardiac cell - cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells – all important constituents of heart muscle.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Gordon Keller, a researcher from the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Toronto, said: “This development means that we can efficiently and accurately make different types of human heart cells for use in both basic and clinical research.

“The immediate impact of this is significant as we now have an unlimited supply of these cells to study how they develop, how they function and how they respond to different drugs.

The study, by a team of Canadian, US and UK scientists, features in the journal Nature.

Read more at BBC