STEM CELL AND GENE THERAPY FOR HEART FAILURE


Leslie W. Miller, M.D., University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

The number of patients with advanced heart failure who are still symptomatic despite optimized medical therapy continues to increase. Therapeutic options for this population have been limited to heart transplant or use of LVADs. The most promising new therapy is use of stem cells or genes to improved myocardial function and vascularity. This field has progressed rapidly with identification of many new types, sources, and delivery methods leading to an increasing number of clinical trials.

Two of the most important advances include identification of the mesenchymal stem cell that can be given without the need for immunosuppression, and use of early cell sources such as from umbilical cords. Similar progress has been made in the number and type of genes in clinical trial. In addition there have been major advances in understanding mechanisms of benefit. Stem cell and gene therapy will be a prominent therapeutic option for all forms of CV disease in the near future.