Application of regenerative medicine in cardiovascular diseases

Abstract

Cardiovascular events are often associated with severe, irreversible damage to the myocardium and significantly high rates of morbidity. Even though current medical therapies have markedly lowered morbidity rates and improved treatment for cardiac patients, it greatly lacks the facilities to reverse the damage done to the cardiac cells. Latest advances and developments in regenerative medicine and stem cell therapy have shown great potential in overcoming this challenge. Advanced stem cell-based therapy has shown significant improvement in cardiac function in several animal models with the potential to treat both acute and chronic complications. A few cardiac regenerative therapies have also been approved in some Asian countries, and a cell based therapy has received FDA fast track status. In this paper, how stem cell therapy and tissue engineering can be incorporated into producing effective cardiac regenerative therapy to overcome the shortcomings of the conventional treatment will be elaborated.