Circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system, which can transport nutrients, respiratory gases, and metabolites in an organism, allowing integration between different tissues.
Most animals are complex multicellular organisms that need a mechanism to transport nutrients and remove waste products. With the passage of time, the circulatory system has developed from the simple diffusion through cells in the early evolution of animals to a complex vascular network, reaching all parts of the human body. This extensive network provides oxygen and nutrition to cells, tissues and organs, while removing carbon dioxide and respiratory byproducts waste. The circulatory system is made up of blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to heart. Arteries take blood away from the heart, and veins take it back to the heart. It can be thought of as a highway system that runs throughout the whole body.
Fig.1 The circulatory system.
The circulatory system not only keeps our cells healthy, but also keeps us alive. According to a scientific theory, the heart constantly receives signals from other parts of the body that indicate how hard it needs to pump to properly supply the body with what it needs. Many circulatory system disorders interfere with the process - some can be fatal, each with its symptoms. Diseases that can affect the circulatory system include:
Despite advances in the medical field, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is still one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The discovery of new therapies based on cell therapies or drugs is crucial. Nowadays, the latest discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) has revolutionized the field of stem cells.
In a series of cardiovascular diseases caused by the circulatory system, the latest availability of human cardiomyocytes derived from iPSCs provides new opportunities for establishing in vitro models of heart diseases, screening new drugs and patient-specific cardiac therapies. It is worth noting that the use of iPSCs can be studied in a wide range of genotypes and phenotypes.
Fig.2 IPSCs for cardiovascular disease modeling and precision medicine studies. (Musunuru, 2018)
In the process of differentiation of iPSCs into functional cardiomyocytes, the efficiency of cardiac differentiation of human PSCs can be improved by screening the key signaling molecules in heart development. Signal proteins related to cardiac development include canonical Wnt/β-catenin, activin/nodal, Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP). These signaling proteins along with small molecules (such as ascorbic acid and cyclosporin A) have also been shown to improve the efficacy and quality of derived cardiomyocytes. Extensive protocols are using these developmental signals to efficiently and heart-specifically differentiate iPSCs.
In order to make iPSC technology available to a wide range of people all over the world, Creative Biolabs provides customized iPSC production services for companies and individuals.
Reference
For Research Use Only. Not For Clinical Use.
