Research Profile

Translationally relevant human stem cell-based disease modelling and drug discovery is based on constant advancements of complex in vitro approaches. To enable up to date stem cell-based research within the Heidelberg/Mannheim cardiovascular science community we set up a Stem Cell Hub (SCHub). 

We use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), which are obtained from human cells such as skin or blood cells by reprogramming in order to differentiate these iPSC into celltypes of the heart (in particular cardiac muscle cells, vascular and connective tissue cells). These cells are used to obtain representative model systems in cell culture in order to investgate the origin and development of heart muscle diseases.

The scope of the Stem Cell Hub is:

1. to generate human iPSC lines from patients and healthy probands including quality control,
2. to retrieve isogenic iPSC lines by genome editing (i.e. employing CRISPR/Cas technologies),
3. to maintain, expand, and store the iPSC-lines,
4. to differentiate iPSC into cardiovascular cell types using constantly optimized standard operation procedures (SOP),
5. perform and optimize standardized functional phenotyping techniques (e.g. contractile functions, calcium handling, electrophysiological properties)
6. to employ bioengineering technologies to facilitate 2D and 3D multicellular models. 

Services as well as iPSCs and iPSC-derived differentiated cells can be requested for specific projects in order to streamline iPSC-based approaches. Furthermore, scientists (technichian, MD student, PhD student, Postdoc) can get trained in iPSC culture methods as well as iPSC-derived cell type handling and functional assays. 

The SCHub is embedded in the Pluricore Network within the German Stem Cell Network (GSCN) as well as the CoreEUStem initiative.