| dc.description.abstract | The treatment of cardiovascular disease in modern society is of high importance, considering that it is a major cause of death worldwide. One of the approaches used to treat cardiovascular disease utilizes recent advancements in regenerative medicine. This involves the use of cell based therapies, which include human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) as well as other resident populations of stem cells either from the adult body (i.e. skeletal myoblasts) or human cardiac progenitor cells. In this thesis the hESC potential are reviewed, as well as the issues both practical and ethical that arise from their application. Also, the regenerative potential of other stem cell populations are investigated, including their electrophysiological potential to compare their ability to adapt in the diseased area after transplantation. Last but not least, it is shown that hCPCs posses both the properties and the electrophysiological potential to better adapt on the host tissue, and provide the best candidate for treatment of cardiovascular disease by utilizing cell-based therapies. | |
