Article

Cardiovascular morbidity imposes a high degree of disability and mortality, with
limited therapeutic options available in end-stage disease. Integral to standard
of care, cardiac rehabilitation aims on improving quality-of-life and prolonging
survival. The recent advent of regenerative technologies paves the way for a
transformative era in rehabilitation medicine whereby, beyond controlling risk
factors and disease progression, the prospect of curative solutions is
increasingly tangible. To date, the spectrum of clinical experience in cardiac
regenerative medicine relies on stem cell-based therapies delivered to the
diseased myocardium either acutely/subacutely, after a coronary event, or in the
setting of chronic heart failure. Application of autologous/allogeneic stem cell
platforms has established safety and feasibility, with encouraging signals of
efficacy. Newer protocols aim to purify cell populations in an attempt to
eliminate nonregenerative and enrich for regenerative cell types before use. Most
advanced technologies have been developed to isolate resident cell populations
directly from the heart or, alternatively, condition cells from noncardiac
sources to attain a disease-targeted lineage-specified phenotype for optimized
outcome. Because a multiplicity of cell-based technologies has undergone phase
I/II evaluation, pivotal trials are currently underway in larger patient
populations. Translation of regenerative principles into clinical practice will
increasingly involve rehabilitation providers across the continuum of patient
care. Regenerative rehabilitation is thus an emerging multidisciplinary field,
full of opportunities and ready to be explored.
- Régénération

Langue : ANGLAIS