Direct reprogramming for cardiac regeneration: from dream to reality.

Direct reprogramming of endogenous fibroblasts into functional cardiomyocytes to regenerate the heart after myocardial infarction (MI) has long been a dream. A few years ago, this would have been considered by most to be science fiction. Certainly, the most optimistic scientists would probably categorize this as “highly unlikely to ever work.” And yet, 2 papers,1,2 including one in this issue of Circulation Research,2 have achieved this, using two distinct approaches. These landmark studies will hopefully pave the way for effective approaches to restoring cardiac function after cardiac injury.