Changing of the guard?: Figure 1

Abstract

This editorial refers to ‘Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cell treatment in patients with severe ischaemic heart failure: a randomized placebo-controlled trial (MSC-HF trial)’[†][1], by A.B. Mathiasen et al. , on page 1744. Cell therapy continues to hold promise as a future therapeutic modality for patients with heart failure. The first cells to be utilised in clinical trials in cardiovascular disease were autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (ABMMNCs).1–3 This was likely due to the fact that these cells are readily accessible and can be easily processed and given back to patients as an autologous fresh product in a short amount of time. In the absence of clinical experience, this was a good starting point. Over the next decade, important additional data were obtained with the use of ABMMNCs,4–6 and the initial positive results were tempered by negative results. Nonetheless, after much scrutiny, there seems to be a therapeutic signal, … [1]: #fn-2