日本小児循環器学会雑誌 Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Cardiomyocytes are terminal differentiated and thus, once damaged, cannot be substantially replaced by proliferation of surrounding cells. Stem cell therapy, i.e., replacement therapy, has long been viewed as a new and effective approach for treatment of myocardial infarction and severe heart failure; however, clinical establishment of stem cell therapy has presented significant challenges due to the difficulties in efficient isolation and transplantation of cardiac-committed stem cells. This review summarizes the history, current overview, and future perspectives in cardiac stem cell research.