title: Stem cell-based therapy: Improving myocardial cell delivery.
abstract: Stem cell-based therapies form an exciting new class of medicine that attempt to provide the body with the building blocks required for the reconstruction of damaged organs. However, delivering cells to the correct location, while preserving their integrity and functional properties, is a complex undertaking. These challenges have led to the development of a highly dynamic interdisciplinary research field, wherein medical, biological, and chemical sciences have collaborated to develop strategies to overcome the physiological barriers imposed on the cellular therapeutics. In this respect, improving the acute retention and subsequent survival of stem cells is key to effectively increase the effect of the therapy, while proper tissue integration is imperative for stem cells to functionally replace lost cells in damaged organs. In this review, we will use the heart as an example to highlight the current knowledge of therapeutic stem cell utilization, the existing pitfalls and limitations, and the approaches that have been developed to overcome them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; UMC Utrecht Regenerative Medicine Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dries A M
authors.initials: DAM
authors.lastname: Feyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Bioengineering and Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA,USA.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gaetani
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; UMC Utrecht Regenerative Medicine Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands; Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pieter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Doevendans
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; UMC Utrecht Regenerative Medicine Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands; Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Electronic address: j.sluijter@umcutrecht.nl.
authors.forename: Joost P G
authors.initials: JPG
authors.lastname: Sluijter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D032386:Myoblasts, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Cell retention; Cell therapy; Myocardial repair; Progenitor cell; Stem cell