title: Heart repair and stem cells.
abstract: Of the medical conditions currently being discussed in the context of possible treatments based on cell transplantation therapy, few have received more attention than the heart. Much focus has been on the potential application of bone marrow-derived cell preparations, which have already been introduced into double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials. The consensus is that bone marrow may have therapeutic benefit but that this is not based on the ability of bone marrow cells to transdifferentiate into cardiac myocytes. Are there potential stem cell sources of cardiac myocytes that may be useful in replacing those lost or dysfunctional after myocardial infarction? Here, this question is addressed with a review of the recent literature.
authors.affiliation: Hubrecht Laboratory, Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Linda W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: van Laake
authors.forename: Rutger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hassink
authors.forename: Pieter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Doevendans
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mummery
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D006084:Graft Rejection; D006801:Humans; D023421:Models, Animal; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000379:methods; D032496:Satellite Cells, Skeletal Muscle / Q000166:cytology; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome