Stem cell therapy in the heart and vasculature

Stem cell therapy is a progressive approach to a pervasive clinical problem; cardiovascular disease is the number 1 killer in the USA and other developed countries, and aspects of it are amenable to stem cell therapy. Many types of stem cells have been used in treating the heart during myocardial infarction, and here, we describe our approach of direct myocardial injection of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into the infarct of rats. We will also briefly introduce the methods we have used to inject neonatal cardiomyocytes into the aorta as a first step in attempting to produce an external cardiac pump. Proper surgical technique and postoperative care are as important as adequate injection of the cells and will greatly improve the survival of the animal after surgery. By carefully following the methods presented in this chapter, the reader will be able to perform direct myocardial and vascular injection of stem cells into rats.