Clinical application of stem cell in cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular disease has been one of leading causes of death and has an increasing importance in Korea. However the current treatment modalities for cardiovascular disease have limited efficacy. To overcome the limitations of current therapies, stem cell therapy has been evaluated as a new therapeutic option. Most experience and achievements of stem cell therapy for clinical applications have come from bone marrow-derived stem cells. Recent meta-analyses showed that stem cell therapy is safe and effective for improving cardiac systolic functions in patients with acute myocardial infarction. However, the long term efficacy and effects on clinical outcomes need to be determined. Stem cell therapy for acute cardiovascular disease, especially for acute myocardial infarction, has a proven efficacy and safety in short term follow up. Newer stem cell sources and therapeutic approaches such as adjunctive therapy or pre-transplantation cultivation will be applied in this field to improve the efficacy of stem cell therapy. Stem cell therapy is a promising new therapeutic option for cardiovascular disease.