Apr 17, 2026
Protze Lab publishes their work growing heart cells in the lab that mimic the atrioventricular node (AVN), the part of the heart that carries electrical impulses from the atria to the ventricles.
Project MaVen PI Stephanie Protze's group has published a new strategy for the directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived AtrioVentricular Nodal-Like Pacemaker Cells (AVNLPCs) using BMP signaling modulation. AVNLPCs transcriptomically mimic fetal AVN cells and exhibit AVN conduction properties in engineered heart tissues, and, upon engraftment into guinea pig hearts, AVNLPCs recapitulated AVN function highlighting their potential for future application as a biological conduction bridge for treatment of AV block.
Their work, led by PhD candidate Michelle Lohbihler, made the cover of the high impact journal Cell Stem Cell!
You can read more about this accomplishment in this UHN news piece: https://www.uhnresearch.ca/news/4-02-2026/a-bridge-beyond-pacemakers
Or access the journal article directly: https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/issue?pii=S1934-5909(25)X0005-9#