Genetic modification of stem cells for improved therapy of the infarcted myocardium

Husnain Kh Haider, Anique Mustafa, Yuliang Feng, Muhammad Ashraf

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

The conventional treatment modalities for ischemic heart disease only provide symptomatic relief to the patient without repairing and regenerating the damaged myocardium. Stem cell transplantation has emerged as a promising alternative therapeutic approach for cardiovascular diseases. Stem cells possess the potential of differentiation to adopt morphofunctional cardiac and vasculogenic phenotypes to repopulate the scar tissue and restore regional blood flow in the ischemic myocardium. These beneficial therapeutic effects make stem cell transplantation the method of choice for the treatment of ischemic heart disease. The efficacy of stem cell transplantation may be augmented by genetic manipulation of the cells prior to transplantation. Not only will insertion of therapeutic transgene(s) into the stem cells support the survival and differentiation of cells in the unfavorable microenvironment of the ischemic myocardium, but also the genetically manipulated stem cells will serve as a source of the transgene expression product in the heart for therapeutic benefits. We provide an overview of the extensively studied stem cell types for cardiac regeneration, the various methods in which these cells have been genetically manipulated and rationale of genetic modification of stem cells for use in regenerative cardiovascular therapeutics.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1446-1457
Number of pages12
JournalMolecular Pharmaceutics
Volume8
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 3 2011
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • angiomyogenesis
  • gene therapy
  • heart
  • stem cells

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Molecular Medicine
  • Pharmaceutical Science
  • Drug Discovery

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