Pharmacologic and genetic strategies to enhance cell therapy for cardiac regeneration

• Published in: Journal of molecular and cellular cardiology Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 619 - 625
• Main Authors: Kanashiro-Takeuchi, Rosemeire M, Schulman, Ivonne Hernandez, Hare, Joshua M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2011
• Subjects: Animals; Cardiogenesis; Cardiovascular; Chemokines; Clinical Trials as Topic; Erythropoietin - pharmacology; Erythropoietin - therapeutic use; Genetic Engineering; Genetic Therapy; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor - pharmacology; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor - therapeutic use; Growth factors; Heart - physiopathology; Heart Failure - physiopathology; Heart Failure - therapy; Humans; Regeneration; Small molecules; Stem cell; Stem Cell Transplantation; Stem Cells - metabolism; Regeneration; Small molecules; Growth factors; Cardiogenesis; Stem cell; Chemokines
• ISSN: 0022-2828; 1095-8584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2011.05.015

Abstract Cell-based therapy is emerging as an exciting potential therapeutic approach for cardiac regeneration following myocardial infarction (MI). As heart failure (HF) prevalence increases over time, development of new interventions designed to aid cardiac recovery from injury are crucial and should be considered more broadly. In this regard, substantial efforts to enhance the efficacy and safety of cell therapy are continuously growing along several fronts, including modifications to improve the reprogramming efficiency of inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPS), genetic engineering of adult stem cells, and administration of growth factors or small molecules to activate regenerative pathways in the injured heart. These interventions are emerging as potential therapeutic alternatives and/or adjuncts based on their potential to promote stem cell homing, proliferation, differentiation, and/or survival. Given the promise of therapeutic interventions to enhance the regenerative capacity of multipotent stem cells as well as specifically guide endogenous or exogenous stem cells into a cardiac lineage, their application in cardiac regenerative medicine should be the focus of future clinical research. This article is part of a special issue entitled “Key Signaling Molecules in Hypertrophy and Heart Failure.”