Adult stem cells for cardiac tissue engineering.
Cell therapy and tissue engineering attract increasing attention as a potential approach for cardiac repair. Adult stem cells from autologous origin are a practically safe and appealing source for cell-based regenerative therapies that may hold realistic clinical potential. A plethora of interesting concepts have been introduced aiming at regenerating ischemic myocardium through adult stem cell-based bioartificial cardiac tissue supplements. Yet, current pre-clinical concepts have not reached translational applicability, and successes are only episodic. This review will provide a brief overview of the latest concepts and breakthroughs in the emerging field of cardiac adult stem cell-based tissue engineering, and discuses the challenges that this field needs to overcome to achieve realistic therapeutic translation into the clinical arena. This article is part of a special issue entitled, "Cardiovascular Stem Cells Revisited".
Martinez
Eliana C
EC
Department of Surgery, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Kofidis
Theo
T
D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000637:transplantation; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000639:trends; D023822:Tissue Engineering