title: Heart regeneration: Past, present and future.
abstract: The heart has been considered a post-mitotic organ without regenerative capacity for most of the last century. We review the evidence that led to this hypothesis in the early 1900s and how it was progressively modified, culminating with the report that we renew 50% of our cardiomyocytes during our lifetime. The future of cardiac regenerative therapies is discussed, presenting the difficulties to overcome before repair of the diseased heart can come into clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Adriana Bastos Carvalho, Antonio Carlos Campos de Carvalho, National Institute of Cardiology, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 22240-006, Brazil; Carlos Chagas Filho Institute of Biophysics and Institute for Science and Technology in Structural Biology and Bioimaging, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, CEP 21941-902, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Bastos
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Antonio Carlos Campos
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: de Carvalho