Cardiovascular disease has been one of leading
causes of death and has an increasing importance in
Korea. However the current
treatment modalities for
cardiovascular disease have limited
efficacy. To overcome the limitations of current
therapies,
stem cell therapy has been evaluated as a new
therapeutic option. Most experience and
achievements of
stem cell therapy for clinical applications have come from
bone marrow-derived
stem cells. Recent meta-analyses showed that
stem cell therapy is safe and effective for improving cardiac systolic functions in
patients with acute
myocardial infarction. However, the long term
efficacy and effects on clinical outcomes need to be determined.
Stem cell therapy for acute
cardiovascular disease, especially for acute
myocardial infarction, has a proven
efficacy and
safety in short term follow up. Newer
stem cell sources and
therapeutic approaches such as adjunctive
therapy or pretransplantation cultivation
will be applied in this field to improve the
efficacy of
stem cell therapy.
Stem cell therapy is a promising new
therapeutic option for
cardiovascular disease.