INTRAMYOCARDIAL STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION IN CARDIAC SURGERY: FROM PRECLINICAL BACKGROUNDS TO THE PERFECT TRIAL

Cardiac cell therapy for regenerative purposes has been clinically applied in the fields of cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology for almost one decade. With preclinical studies showing promising regenerative concepts and results, the clinical efficacy of stem cell application reported until today in the setting of ischemic heart disease has been rather modest. However, clinical studies performed so far have been heterogenous. Hence, for final evaluation of the possible clinical benefits completion of ongoing phase III trials are mandatory. The following article repeats preclinical and clinical prerequisites for cardiac stem cell application and introduces the German Phase III PERindopril Function of the Endothelium in Coronary artery disease Trial (PERFECT) for intramyocardial stem cell injection in combination with CABG surgery.