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Updated: Jun 21, 2026
Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Cardiac Cells for Myocardial Repair
Published on: February 3, 2017
Stem cell therapy for cardiac repair: benefits and barriers
Steven J Joggerst1, Antonis K Hatzopoulos
1Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
Insights
Stem cell therapy shows potential for cardiac repair by aiding injured heart muscle, primarily through paracrine effects. Research explores resident cardiac stem cells for future regenerative therapies.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cardiology
- Stem Cell Biology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease is a leading global cause of death, leading to heart failure via cardiac tissue loss.
- Current treatments focus on mitigating pathological remodeling and reducing risk factors post-injury.
- Cell transplantation in animal models and clinical trials shows modest benefits for ischemic injury.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review stem cell populations for cardiac repair and regeneration.
- To discuss the potential and limitations of current cell-based therapies.
- To explore the role of resident cardiac stem cells in myocardial healing.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical studies involving various stem cell types (mesenchymal, hematopoietic, skeletal myoblasts, embryonic).
- Analysis of clinical trial data for bone-marrow-derived cells and skeletal myoblasts.
- Examination of recent findings on resident cardiac stem cells.
Main Results:
- Transplanted stem cells offer modest benefits, with limited new tissue generation.
- Primary mechanism of action involves paracrine effects on injured myocardium.
- Discovery of putative resident stem cells in the adult heart offers new therapeutic avenues.
Conclusions:
- Stem cell therapy holds promise for cardiac repair, mainly via paracrine signaling.
- Resident cardiac stem cells present a potential target for in vivo manipulation and therapy.
- Further research is needed to overcome barriers and optimize stem cell-based cardiac regeneration.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide. Acute ischaemic injury and chronic cardiomyopathies lead to permanent loss of cardiac tissue and ultimately heart failure. Current therapies aim largely to attenuate the pathological remodelling that occurs after injury and to reduce risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Studies in animal models indicate that transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells, bone-marrow-derived haematopoietic stem cells, skeletal myoblasts, or embryonic stem cells has the potential to improve the function of ventricular muscle after ischaemic injury. Clinical trials using primarily bone-marrow-derived cells and skeletal myoblasts have also produced some encouraging results. However, the current experimental evidence suggests that the benefits of cell therapy are modest, the generation of new cardiac tissue is low, and the predominant mechanisms of action of transplanted stem cells involve favourable paracrine effects on injured myocardium. Recent studies show that the adult heart possesses various pools of putative resident stem cells, raising the hope that these cells can be isolated for therapy or manipulated in vivo to improve the healing of cardiac muscle after injury. This article reviews the properties and potential of the various stem cell populations for cardiac repair and regeneration as well as the barriers that might lie ahead.
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