ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Myocardial infarction (MI) and the subsequent loss of left ventricular (LV) function are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Until recently the main focus of the research-effort in the MI-field has been on limitation of myocardial damage by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and preservation of LV function by acute and long-term pharmacological interventions. To date, however, the dogma that the heart is a terminally differentiated postmitotic organ with very limited ability for regeneration has been abandoned after a number of landmark-publications has provided convincing in vitro evidence to support the contrary (1,2). These publications have inspired many active research groups to further investigate this very appealing concept of cardiac repair through cell-therapy.
