Loss of heart myocardium is considered to be an irreversible process which can eventually lead to heart failure. Adult cardiomyocytes divide at a rate of less than 1% per year and no cardiac stem or progenitor cell type contribute significantly to the replacement of lost myocytes. One approach being pursued to replace lost heart muscle and regenerate the heart is the use of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes.
In this publication, we focus on an in-depth review of the use of human pluripotent stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes in heart regeneration including:
- a background to cardiac regeneration and the approaches used to address this
- preclinical research and achievements in the use of cell therapy and stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes for the replacement of lost heart muscle
- an overview of existing open questions such as how the technology works, the duration of effect, patient selection, immunological issues and how to reduce risk
- a summary of the clinical trials currently ongoing in this field