Stem Cells and Myocardial Regeneration

Stem Cells and Myocardial Regeneration is a comprehensive bench to bedside examination of stem cell-based therapies for cardiac dysfunction. The contributors, all leading researchers in their area of expertise, explore recent advances in the laboratory and in clinical trials. This volume emphasizes the near epidemic status of chronic heart failure (CHF) in the United States and abroad, and evaluates the level of success and failure of current optimal medical therapy. Specific attention is also given to both the basic cell types and pathways involved in cardiac stem cell research and the clinical issues that surround it. Parts I and II of Stem Cells and Myocardial Regeneration examine various cardiac stem cell types, including hematopoietic, mesenchymal, and endogenous cells and critical physiological pathways, including chemokines, stem cell differentiation, and arrhythmia mechanisms. Part III focuses on clinical issues intrinsic to delivery of stem cells to the heart at the time of myocardial infarction (MI) and in patients with CHF. Part IV contains up-to-date reviews and analyses of the findings of stem cell-based clinical trials of acute MI and CHF. The concluding section presents a summary of cardiac stem cell research and outlines potential obstacles to future study.