Stem cells in cardiac repair

Advances in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction have led to increased survival but also an increase in those suffering from heart failure. The concept of adult progenitor cell therapy has grown from observations that cardiac function improves after injection of bone marrow-derived cells into infarcted regions in animal models. The mechanism of action is unclear and is probably multifactorial. Different subpopulations of autologous cells have been utilised in humans with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure, as well different routes of delivery. These small Phase I clinical trials suggest that this approach is safe and leads to clinical improvement, and larger scale randomised control studies are underway. We believe that cell therapy heralds a revolutionary new era in the treatment of disease.