The plasticity of adult stem cells and their application in myocardial regenerative medicine

Current therapies for myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure are limited in efficacy or in applicability.The plasticity of adult stem cells and cellular transplantation offer a novel therapeutic approach to im- prove cardiac function.This review describes the latest progress in research,summarizes recent studies of adult stem cells and their application in myocardial regenerative medicine in China and abroad,and discusses the future direc- tions of cell transplantation as a new therapy to repair injured hearts.(J Geriatr Cardiol 2004;1(2):77-82.)