Heart regeneration

Heart failure plagues industrialized nations, killing more people than any other disease. It usually results from a deficiency of specialized cardiac muscle cells known as cardiomyocytes, and a robust therapy to regenerate lost myocardium could help millions of patients every year. Heart regeneration is well documented in amphibia and fish and in developing mammals. After birth, however, human heart regeneration becomes limited to very slow cardiomyocyte replacement. Several experimental strategies to remuscularize the injured heart using adult stem cells and pluripotent stem cells, cellular reprogramming and tissue engineering are in progress. Although many challenges remain, these interventions may eventually lead to better approaches to treat or prevent heart failure.