Three genes determine heart cell growth

Heart disease has long been the leading cause of death globally. One reason is that the heart has poor regenerative properties, causing damage to accumulate. Scientists have speculated that understanding how the heart grows from the embryo will lead to new medical treatments. To model the development of heart cells, a new study in Stem Cell Reports by CiRA researchers uses human iPS cells to show the importance of three genes: HAND1, HAND2 and LEF1.