Vascular differentiation from embryonic stem cells: novel technologies and therapeutic promises

Abstract

Stem cell (SC) therapy represents a big hope for treating unmet clinical needs, including in the context of cardiovascular disease. The abilities of embryonic SC (ESCs) to self-renew indefinitely and to differentiate in all the three germ layers make these SCs very attractive for both basic science investigations and clinical therapies. ESCs can generate vascular endothelial and mural cells to be used for transplantation and to create engineered organs. Moreover ESC can be used to mimic developmental vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in vitro. However, additional studies are needed to improve vascular differentiation protocols of ESCs. This review focuses on ESCs and the technologies allowing for their differentiation into mesoderm and vascular lineage. Moreover, the potential of ESC-derived vascular cells for clinical cardiovascular therapies and strategies to improve ESC engraftment efficiency are discussed.