ABSTRACT
Heart failure (HF) affects 5-7 million Americans, with 400,000 new cases every year, killing some 300,000 people annually (NHLBI, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute*). Coronary artery disease is among the greatest contributors to HF because it leads to the loss of myocardium from infarctions and chronic ischemia. Current medical and surgical approaches are limited in ef‹cacy; therefore, novel therapeutic options such as cell-based therapies are in critical demand. To this end, the development of a safe and effective technology to monitor the outcome of new approaches to optimize engraftment and viability of transplanted cells is important.
