Genetic engineering and stem cells: combinatorial approaches for cardiac cell therapy [Cellular/Tissue Engineering]

The use of genetic engineering to induce or alter specific protein expression in stem cells has already facilitated research in this field and may, additionally, offer a potential route for designing more efficient cell sources for cardiac repair. As the feasibility of stem cell genetic manipulation has already been proved and as genetic techniques continue to advance, the combinatorial approach for cardiac cell therapy is promising. This review will thus describe the applications of genetic engineering to improve the isolation, selection, and differentiation of stem cells prior to implantation as well as strategies to promote the retention, mobilization, survival, integration, and tracking of stem cells after implantation.