PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The development of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) 
technology has led to many advances in the areas of directed cell 
differentiation and characterization. New methods for generating iPSC-derived 
cardiomyocytes provide an invaluable resource for the study of certain 
cardiovascular disorders. This review highlights the current technology in this 
field, its application thus far to the study of genetic disorders of the 
RAS/MAPK pathway and long-QT syndrome (LQTS), and future directions for the 
field.
RECENT FINDINGS: Enhanced methods increase the efficiency of generating and 
stringently purifying iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. The use of cardiomyocytes 
derived from patients with LEOPARD syndrome and LQTS has shed light on the 
molecular mechanisms of disease and validated their use as reliable human 
disease models.
SUMMARY: The use of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes to study genetic cardiovascular 
disorders will enable a deeper and more applicable understanding of the 
molecular mechanisms of human disease, as well as improving our ability to 
achieve successful cell-based therapies. Methods to efficiently generate these 
cells are improving and provide promise for future applications of this 
technology.