Myocardial repair: from salvage to tissue reconstruction

Abstract

Cardiac tissue reconstruction following myocardial infarction represents a major challenge in cardiovascular therapy, as current clinical approaches are limited in their ability to regenerate or replace damaged myocardium. Thus, different novel treatments have been introduced aimed at myocardial salvage and repair. Here, we present a review of recent advancements in cardiac cell, gene-based and tissue engineering therapies. Selected strategies in cell therapy and new tools for myocardial gene transfer are summarized. Finally, we consider novel approaches to myocardial tissue engineering as a platform for the integration of various modalities in an attempt to rejuvenate infarcted tissue in vivo.

Keywords::

• biomaterial
• cell therapy
• gene therapy
• heart
• myocardial regeneration
• tissue engineering

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Smadar Cohen holds the Clair & Harold Oshry Professor Chair in Biotechnology. The authors acknowledge the generous funding of the Israel Science Foundation (#793/04) and applied research program of Ben-Gurion University. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.