Role of Stem Cells in Cardiac Diseases

Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of global mortality, and cardiovascular diseases represent a major challenge for researchers because of the overall health complications associated with them. Numerous studies have shown that it is exceedingly difficult to induce cardiomyocytes to divide, resulting in a flood of interest in attempting to treat cardiac ischemia through the delivery of new cardiomyocytes. To do so, researchers have started investigating the potential of using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to derive functional cardiomyocytes. The diverse cells that compose the heart and the subdivision of cardiomyocytes make it difficult to generate specific cells with specific genetic and functional signatures. Hence, it is essential to define the cardiac progenitor cells' identity and subsequently design the best strategy to differentiate them into the appropriate mature functional cells. Recent studies in animal models and some clinical trials have shown the beneficial effects of these iPS cells in decreasing morbidity and improving heart function. Yet, many hurdles still need to be overcome before generalizing the conclusions reached so far. These are related to the nature of the manipulated cells, their delivery into the host, and their interaction with the host cells. This review touches upon the current knowledge of Cardiac Progenitor Cells (CPC), the role of iPS cells in understanding cardiac disease, as well as the clinical trials and animal models involving stem cells and cardiac disease.