Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Simches Research Center, 185 Cambridge Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA. kchien@partners.org
Recent advances in stem-cell technology are now allowing the mechanisms of human disease to be studied in human cells. A new era for regenerative medicine is arising from such disease models, extending beyond early cell-based therapies and towards evaluating genetic variation in humans and identifying the molecular pathways that lead to disease, as well as targets for therapy.