Stem cell cardiomyoplasty: State-of-the-art

Abstract

Congestive heart failure (CHF) remains the most common diagnosis made in cardiology wards today. No long-term therapeutic option for end-stage CHF is available except for orthotopic heart transplant. Cellular-based therapy has emerged as a potential new therapy for patients with advanced heart failure. Different cell types are being explored in preclinical and clinical studies with encouraging results. Critical issues, such as types of cells, ideal number of cells, route of delivery, timing and targets of delivery, remain to be optimised to maximise the benefits of cell therapy. In this review, we seek to summarise the latest data and postulate future directions in this potentially exciting field.