Recreating the biological pacemaker.
In recent years, several groups have reported a variety of strategies for developing biological pacemakers whose ultimate function would be to supplement/replace electronic pacemakers. Strategies have included gene therapy using naked plasmids or viral vectors and cell therapy for which both adult human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and human embryonic stem cells have been employed. This article reviews the various approaches and summarizes our own research in which the pacemaker gene, HCN2, is administered via viral vector or in an hMSC platform to produce pacemaker function in the intact canine heart.
Rosen
Michael R
MR
Center for Molecular Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacology, Columbia University, 630 West 168 Street, PH 7 West-321, New York, NY 10032, USA. mrr1@columbia.edu
Robinson
Richard B
RB
Brink
Peter
P
Cohen
Ira S
IS
D000256:Adenoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004285:Dogs; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D064428:Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000502:physiology*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000502:physiology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D010957:Plasmids; D015221:Potassium Channels; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
C578710:HCN2 protein, human; D064428:Hyperpolarization-Activated Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channels; D007473:Ion Channels; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D015221:Potassium Channels; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins