An article authored by the research team of Lee Eckhardt, MD, MS (pictured at upper right), associate professor, Cardiovascular Medicine has been selected for the 2017 Best Paper Award by the editors of the American Journal of Physiology–Heart and Circulatory Physiology.

The article, titled "IK1-enhanced human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes: an improved cardiomyocyte model to investigate inherited arrhythmia syndromes," described the production and characterization of engineered induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPS-CMs) that more closely represent the cell size, structure, multinucleation, electrophysiology, and calcium handling properties of adult human cardiomyocytes.

Ravi Vaidyanathan, PhD (pictured at lower right), associate scientist, was lead author of the publication.

Additional authors were Yogananda Markandeya, PhD, former assistant scientist; Timothy Kamp, MD, PhD, professor and Dr. Herman and Ailene Tuchman Chair in Clinical Cardiology; Jonathan Makielski, MD, professor; and Craig January, MD, PhD, professor, all of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Resources:

• Vaidyanathan R, Markandeya YS, Kamp TJ, Makielski JC, January CT, Eckhardt LL. 2016. IK1-enhanced human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes: an improved cardiomyocyte model to investigate inherited arrhythmia syndromes.Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 310(11):H1611-21.

Photo caption: Dr. Lee Eckhardt and Dr. Ravi Vaidyanathan at work in the Eckhardt laboratory. Photo credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine