Generation of Endothelial Cells From Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Abstract

Endothelial cells (ECs) are critical for several aspects of cardiovascular disease therapy, including vascular regeneration, personalized drug development, and tissue engineering. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) afford us with an unprecedented opportunity to produce virtually unlimited quantities of human ECs. In this review, we highlight key developments and outstanding challenges in our ability to derive ECs de novo from hPSCs. Furthermore, we consider strategies for recapitulating the vessel- and tissue-specific functional heterogeneity of ECs in vitro. Finally, we discuss ongoing attempts to utilize hPSC-derived ECs and their progenitors for various therapeutic applications. Continued progress in generating hPSC-derived ECs will profoundly enhance our ability to discover novel drug targets, revascularize ischemic tissues, and engineer clinically relevant tissue constructs. Visual Overview— An online visual overview is available for this article.