title: Implication of therapeutic cloning for organ transplantation.
abstract: Replacement of damaged myocardium with electrically functional, contracting syncytium with a balanced blood supply remains a key goal for the treatment of hearts damaged by coronary heart disease or other disorders. Stem cell therapy offers a potential solution. This paper describes the value of in vitro stem cell research to unravel the roles of key regulatory molecules in embryogenesis of myocardium and blood vessels. Studies have shown that functioning myocytes can be derived from stem cells in vitro and engrafted into infarcted areas of heart where they develop into functional adult like cardiomyocytes with action potentials and capacity for beta adrenergic and muscarinic regulation. Further studies have identified specific roles for platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) in the sequential differentiation of blood vessels and capillaries.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neurophysiologie, University of Cologne, Robert-Koch-Str. 39, 50931 Köln, Germany. j.hescheler@uni-koeln.de
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hescheler
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wartenberg
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wenzel
authors.forename: B K W
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Roell
authors.forename: Zhongju
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dönmez
authors.forename: F C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Ling
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Acker
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kolossov
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kazemi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sasse
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Raible
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bohlen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bloch
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sauer
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Welz
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Fleischmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000637:transplantation*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*