The Myocyte Working Group

The role of hiPSC-CMs within CiPA is to define best practice for experiments using human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in an effort to validate drug effects observed on ion channels, and/or in silico modeling, and to unmask effects that, for various reasons, were not revealed in either the ion channel or in silico work (Termini et al. 2016). hiPSC-CMs offer clear advantages compared with isolated primary human cardiac cells or cardiac tissue preparations, both in terms of availability and ease of use. However, multiple aspects of their biology and pharmacology still need to be determined with certainty. 

While some preliminary studies have taken place, additional experiments and validation work need to be completed to more fully assess the functional utility of human stem cell-derived myocytes for determining the proarrhythmic risk of established and future drugs (Termini et al. 2016). As with other work groups, this will entail standardized procedures and defining best practices. 

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