Cardioprotective repair through stem cell-based cardiopoiesis

Ischemic heart disease continues to progress at pandemic levels despite current preventive and therapeutic interventions. Recent advances in stem cell biology have provided the impetus for a paradigm shift in treatment options, potentially transforming palliative care into curative therapy. Although delivery of stem cells in clinical trials has resulted in a modest functional improvement of myocardial performance in the setting of infarction, ongoing efforts at the bench and bedside are taking place to increase stem cell propensity for engraftment and homing into diseased myocardium. The newest opportunity has arisen with the delivery of stem cells guided to execute the cardiac program. Here, we examine the recent application of genomic and proteomic technology to decipher the process of cardiopoiesis and to recruit cardiopoietic stem cells for cardioprotection and safe myocardial repair.