Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Xiaoping Bao

Sean Paul Palecek

Xiaojun Lance Lian

Methods for generating high-yield, high-purity epicardial cells are described. Wnt/&#x3b2;-catenin signaling is first activated in human cardiac progenitor cells, by, for example, inhibiting Gsk-3 to induce differentiation into epicardial cells. Methods for long-term in vitro maintenance of human cardiac progenitor cell-derived epicardial cells and method comprising chemically defined, xeno-free, and albumin-free culture conditions are also provided.

Methods for epicardial differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Methods for generating high-yield, high-purity cardiomyocyte progenitors or cardiomyocytes from pluripotent cells are described. Wnt/&#x3b2;-catenin signaling is first activated in pluripotent cells, by, for example, inhibiting Gsk-3 to obtain a first population of cells. Wnt/&#x3b2;-catenin signaling is then inhibited in the first cell population to induce cardiogenesis. One or more of these steps is performed under defined, albumin-free culture conditions.

Chemically defined albumin-free conditions for cardiomyocyte differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells

Methods for generating human endothelial cells from human pluripotent stem cells under defined conditions in the absence of VEGF are described. Wnt/&#x3b2;-catenin signaling is activated in human pluripotent stem cells for a defined period, e.g., by inhibition of Gsk3, and then cultured without further exogenous activation of Wnt/&#x3b2;-catenin signaling to obtain a cell population containing human endothelial cells.

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Madison, WI, United States of America

Xiaoping Bao