[Stem cell therapy for the regeneration of heart muscle]

The loss of contractile heart tissue - often a sequelae of cardiac infarction - is caused by the limited regeneration capacity of the heart and usually leads to irreversible organ damage. Modification of this regeneration capacity by cell-based cardiac therapies with precursor and stem cells opens a new therapeutic field. A number of different (stem)cell types and applications are currently being evaluated. The possibilities and risks of the therapy are not easily foreseeable, however, clinical applications are already visible. In the light of stem cell research, the vision of regrowth of the heart in analogy to the Prometheus saga is obtaining a scientific explanation and may lead to new cardiac therapies.