Mesenchymal Stem Cells

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According to the Department of Health and Human Services, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States (1). The medical community is constantly looking for new technologies and discoveries to treat heart disease more effectively. Methods include mechanical based therapies such as artificial heart valves and drug based approaches as with anticoagulant medications. Recently, exciting new discoveries have been made by the scientific community in the development of stem cell based therapies. If scientist could identify and cultivate cells that would reestablish oxygenated blood flow to damaged heart tissue and generate new muscle tissue it would change the landscape of cardiovascular medicine. Actually, this process has already begun as research focuses on a specific cell with these qualities, the mesenchymal stem cell.

Mesenchymal stem cells originate from the mesoderm, the middle germ layer of an embryo, and play a vital role in the formation of connective tissue such as bone, cartilage, marrow, fat and blood. They are also precursor cells that help to produce cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle. Mesenchymal stem cells are found in every organ of the body but are most commonly obtained from bone marrow. Mesenchymal stem cells are classified as multi-potent stem cells. Multi-potent stem cells can transform into many different cell types that are of the same lineage. These innate traits make them prime candidates for use in developing heart disease treatments. While research and clinical trials are still in their infant stages, mesenchymal stem cells possess many desirable characteristics necessary to successfully regenerate heart tissue and restore heart function after heart attack.

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