Open AccessCell technologies in the regenerative medicine of the heart: main problems and ways of development
Author(s) -
Konstantin Agladze
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
alʹmanah kliničeskoj mediciny
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2587-9294
pISSN - 2072-0505
DOI - 10.18786/2072-0505-2019-47-043
Subject(s) - regenerative medicine , stem cell , regeneration (biology) , 3d bioprinting , induced pluripotent stem cell , tissue engineering , computer science , risk analysis (engineering) , neuroscience , business , medicine , biology , embryonic stem cell , biomedical engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , gene
The potential of heart tissues for self-regeneration is not high and supposedly limited to a small number of the niche stem cells. This makes it extremely important to develop regenerative technologies for the myocardium based on modern techniques, for instance, cell re-programming and 3D bioprinting. However, it is often difficult to differentiate the sensational reports regularly appearing in mass media on “breakthrough” technologies from those that really have practical applications. The article sets out a point of view on the popular technologies for the regeneration of cardiac tissues and myocardium as a whole and reviews their drawbacks. The main problems of the bioprinting approach being actively developed include a low differentiation level with printing by stem cells that does not allow for a full-fledged cardiac tissue without foreign inclusions, as well as technological impossibility, when printing with stem cells, to set up their links with other cells during cell delivery in their corresponding matrix locations. Despite some optimistic reports on the good performance on stem or induced pluripotent cells injections into the myocardial injury zone that were first made public about 20 years ago, nowadays this idea seems rather doubtful, because in the recent years there has been virtually no positive effect of this procedure with a serious risk of complications. As far as growing of heart muscle elements is concerned, the main challenge is the development of the “proper” vascularization of the muscle being grown. At the same time, one has to emphasize practical feasibility of growing relatively small myocardial elements, such as sinus node.