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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Intramyocardial Cell Delivery: Observations in Murine Hearts
Published on: January 24, 2014
Comparison of intracardiac cell transplantation: autologous skeletal myoblasts versus bone marrow cells
A G Zenovich1, B H Davis, D A Taylor
1Center for Cardiovascular Repair, 312 Church Street SE, NHH 7-105A, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease patients need better treatments. Cell therapies using skeletal myoblasts (SKMBs) and bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMNCs) show promise but require further research for optimal cardiac repair strategies.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cardiovascular Research
- Cell Therapy
Background:
- High cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality necessitates improved treatments.
- Skeletal myoblasts (SKMBs) and bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMNCs) show preclinical promise for cardiac repair.
- Clinical trials for SKMBs and BMNCs have yielded promising but conflicting results.
Purpose of the Study:
- Critically evaluate progress and challenges in cardiac cell therapy.
- Identify optimal cell types, patient populations, and outcome measures for cardiac repair.
- Facilitate the development of combined drug- and cell-based disease management algorithms.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical and clinical trial data for SKMBs and BMNCs.
- Analysis of safety, feasibility, and efficacy of cell therapies in CVD patients.
- Identification of discrepancies in trial designs and outcome reporting.
Main Results:
- Over 200 patients treated with SKMBs and over 800 with BMNCs.
- Early trials show potential symptomatic and functional improvements.
- Conflicting results and safety concerns necessitate further investigation.
Conclusions:
- Further research is needed to elucidate cell engraftment and mechanisms of action.
- Standardization of patient selection, cell types, and outcome measures is crucial.
- Iterative bench-to-bedside research will enhance the success of cell therapy for cardiac repair.
Abstract:
An increasing number of patients living with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and still unacceptably high mortality created an urgent need to effectively treat and prevent disease-related events. Within the past 5 years, skeletal myoblasts (SKMBs) and bone marrow (or blood)-derived mononuclear cells (BMNCs) have demonstrated preclinical efficacy in reducing ischemia and salvaging already injured myocardium, and in preventing left ventricular (LV) remodeling, respectively. These findings have been translated into clinical trials, so far totaling over 200 patients for SKMBs and over 800 patients for BMNCs. These safety/feasibility and early phase II studies showed promising but somewhat conflicting symptomatic and functional improvements, and some safety concerns have arisen. However, the patient population, cell type, dose, time and mode of delivery, and outcome measures differed, making comparisons problematic. In addition, the mechanisms through which cells engraft and deliver their beneficial effects remain to be fully elucidated. It is now time to critically evaluate progress made and challenges encountered in order to select not only the most suitable cells for cardiac repair but also to define appropriate patient populations and outcome measures. Reiterations between bench and bedside will increase the likelihood of cell therapy success, reduce the time to development of combined of drug- and cell-based disease management algorithms, and offer these therapies to patients to achieve a greater reduction of symptoms and allow for a sustained improvement of quality of life.
