Cardiac pacing: from biological to electronic ... to biological?
The prevention and treatment of life-threatening bradyarrhythmias have been revolutionized in the last half century by electronic pacemakers. Because this represents a palliative therapy, attempts have begun to effect a cure with the novel tools of gene and cell therapy. Over time, the strategies used have coalesced to focus on achieving a stable and autonomically responsive cardiac rhythm in a setting that ultimately would require no implanted hardware. In this report, we review the history of the disease process being treated, approaches now in progress, and the demands that must be met if biological therapies are to be successful.
Rosen
Michael R
MR
Center for Molecular Therapeutics, Departments of Pharmacology and Pediatrics, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA. mrr1@columbia.edu
Brink
Peter R
PR
Cohen
Ira S
IS
Robinson
Richard B
RB
D000818:Animals; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000266:history / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D001683:Biological Clocks / Q000235:genetics; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends; D004562:Electrocardiography; D022062:Electrophysiologic Techniques, Cardiac; D004867:Equipment Design; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000235:genetics; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends