Table 1 Summary of advantages, disadvantages and current clinical trials for the various sources of stem cells mentioned in this article
From: Therapeutic use of stem cells for cardiovascular disease
Cell type | Advantages | Disadvantages | Current clinical trials |
|---|---|---|---|
Embryonic stem cells | Effectively differentiate into all three primary germ layers | Ethical/political issues surrounding the use of these cells | ESCORT |
iPSs | Demonstrate an embryonic-like state and can be derived from somatic cells Strong regenerative capacity and integration within host cardiomyocytes | Risk of teratoma formation, thus there is a need to direct differentiation before transplantation | None |
MSCs | Immunomodulatory characteristics permits the potential to use allogeneic cells Self-renewal, proliferation and differentiation properties | More studies needed to support the efficacy of these cells on a long-term basis | BOOST, REPAIR-AMI, |
 Bone marrow | Immunomodulatory characteristics Easy to isolate via liposuction Rich source of stem cells | MySTromalCell Trial The Precise Trial | |
 Adipose tissue | |||
CSCs | Express cardiac specific markers and can thus differentiate more effectively into cardiomyocytes compared to other cell types | Difficult to isolate/extract cells Need for ex vivo expansion before transplantation, which can be costly | SCIPIO, CADUCEUS |