One of the recent advances in stem cell therapy is the use of umbilical cord stem cells in treating heart complications. The umbilical cord contains about 300,000 stem cells that may develop to almost any type of cell the body requires depending on when they are extracted.

Stem cells have a unique ability to transform. For instance, these cells move to an injured part of the body where they transform to the types of cells affected to help in healing damaged tissue, including heart tissue (1). A heart attack damages muscles of the heart, which can be repaired using stem cells.

While the cells may come from the bone marrow, umbilical cord stem cells can also be used. Scientists have developed ways of boosting the body’s repair function, especially in the treatment of congestive heart failure and heart attack.

The cells are harvested and implanted into affected areas after two to three weeks. The process helps in muscle substitution (2). The stem cells can restore cardiac function literally.

Different medical approaches for treating heart disease have their disadvantages. Statistics show that more than 50% of congestive heart failure patients die in less than five years from the time of their initial diagnoses. Stem cell therapy holds hope of saving more lives, as they literally replace the affected cells, enhancing the heart’s pumping power.

The stem cells primarily transform into three types of cells in the heart – cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells, which respectively help to pump blood from the heart, form inner lining of fresh blood vessels and form blood vessel walls.

Researchers are exploring the possibility of developing the cells from different parts, especially umbilical cord stem cells. The stem cells can be developed into vascular endothelial cells and cardiomyocytes under controlled laboratory conditions. This can help in getting necessary replacement tissue to repair damaged heart.

Animal studies show that the level of regeneration depends on the time that elapses between the heart injury and application of stem cell therapy.

The use of stem cells in treating heart disease has several benefits compared to heart transplant. For example, there is always a shortage of donor hearts considering the present needs.

Using stem cells is considered ethical because it is not associated with potential loss of life. Researchers are still considering different approaches to stem cell therapy, including ‘genetic programming’ where the cells migrate to an injured site automatically.

1. Cleveland Clinic. Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Disease. Extracted on December 1, 2011 from my.clevelandclnic.org/heart/disorders/heartfailure/stemcells.aspx

2. National Institutes of Health. Stem Cell Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease. Extracted on December 1, 2011 from [url]www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1524698/[/url]