Prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease is an important issue, especially in the Western world where ischemic heart disease and its consequences rank first in the list of deaths.
As the population ages and short-term survival rates after myocardial infarction have improved over the past decades, the number of patients with heart failure is increasing. Despite great efforts to improve their condition through lifestyle changes and medications, the natural course of the disease cannot be stopped and the gradual progression to severe cardiac dysfunction and death is generally inevitable.
The mammalian heart is unable to regenerate the large number of cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost after an infarction. Adaptive mechanisms, such as cardiac hypertrophy, are initially beneficial but eventually become detrimental. The only therapeutic option is heart transplantation, but this is limited by donor availability and transplant rejection. If the heart muscle can be regenerated by replacing the lost cardiomyocytes, these problems could be circumvented.
Current studies are working on stem cells, which are currently being investigated for their potential in cardiac regeneration. These strategies include stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells and adult tissues as well as reactivation of resident cells that survived the initial damage to the heart muscle.
As the population ages and short-term survival rates after myocardial infarction have improved over the past decades, the number of patients with heart failure is increasing. Despite great efforts to improve their condition through lifestyle changes and medications, the natural course of the disease cannot be stopped and the gradual progression to severe cardiac dysfunction and death is generally inevitable.
The mammalian heart is unable to regenerate the large number of cardiomyocytes (CMs) lost after an infarction. Adaptive mechanisms, such as cardiac hypertrophy, are initially beneficial but eventually become detrimental. The only therapeutic option is heart transplantation, but this is limited by donor availability and transplant rejection. If the heart muscle can be regenerated by replacing the lost cardiomyocytes, these problems could be circumvented.
Current studies are working on stem cells, which are currently being investigated for their potential in cardiac regeneration. These strategies include stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells and adult tissues as well as reactivation of resident cells that survived the initial damage to the heart muscle.
