Cardiovascular cell therapy and endogenous repair

Cardioavascular disease (CVD) exceeds infection and cancer as the leading cause of death. In the USA alone, approxinnately a million individuals suffer all acute myocardial infarction (AMI) annually. As the prevalence of CVD) risk factors (e.g. hypertension. obesity and type 2 diabetes) rises, CVD is increasing in younger individuals. Fortunately, existing therapies have improved post-AMI mortality, but ill turn have increased the prevalence of post-AMI heart failure (HF). Approximately half-a-million new HF cases are diagnosed each year in the USA. In the next 25 years, Up to 15% of the population over the age of 65 in the USA is projected to have HF. Therapeutic interventions that prevent/ reverse atherosclerosis. prevent post-AMI HF and halt the progressive functional deterioration once HF occurs are all needed. Cell therapy-either via exogenous delivery or by endogenous Mobilization of cells-may be able to do so, in part. by improving the body's capacity for repair. To date, primarily bone marrow- or blood-derived cells have been utilized after AMI to prevent left ventricular dysfunction. and skeletal myoblasts have been transplanted into failing myocardium. Preclinical studies are directed at prevention/reversal of atherosclerosis with bone marrow precursors, and ultimately at replacing failing heart with a cell-based bioartificial construct.