Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Tissue-Engineered Skeletal Muscles

Skeletal muscle, which comprises a significant portion of the body, is responsible for vital functions such as movement, metabolism, and overall health. However, severe injuries often result in volumetric muscle loss (VML) and compromise the regenerative capacity of the muscle. Tissue-engineered muscles offer a potential solution to address lost or damaged muscle tissue, thereby restoring muscle function and improving patients' quality of life. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have emerged as a valuable cell source for muscle tissue engineering due to their pluripotency and self-renewal capacity, enabling the construction of tissue-engineered artificial skeletal muscles with applications in transplantation, disease modelling, and bio-hybrid robots. Next-generation iPSC-based models have the potential to revolutionize drug discovery by offering personalized muscle cells for testing, reducing reliance on animal models. This review provides a comprehensive overview of iPSCs in tissue-engineered artificial skeletal muscles, highlighting the advancements, applications, advantages, and challenges for clinical translation. We also discussed overcoming limitations and considerations in differentiation protocols, characterization methods, large-scale production, and translational regulations. By tackling these challenges, iPSCs can unlock transformative advancements in muscle tissue engineering and therapeutic interventions for the future.

Automated summary

Skeletal muscle, responsible for crucial functions in the body, can suffer from severe injuries leading to volumetric muscle loss (VML). Tissue-engineered muscles using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offer a potential solution to restore muscle function. iPSCs, with their pluripotency and self-renewal capacity, can be used to construct tissue-engineered artificial skeletal muscles for various applications. These iPSC-based models also have the potential to revolutionize drug discovery and reduce reliance on animal models. This review provides an overview of iPSCs in tissue-engineered skeletal muscles, discussing advancements, challenges, and considerations for clinical translation.