Emerging Approaches for Cardiovascular Stem Cell Imaging

Stem cell therapies offer potential therapeutic alternatives for coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. To a lesser extent, stem cell transplantations are used for experimental treatment of congenital heart conditions, atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease, and other cardiovascular pathologies. The efficacy of stem cell transplants on the aforementioned diseases has been inconsistent, and the specific regenerative mechanisms by which stem cells work are not well understood. Thus, a reliable and efficient method of cell tracking and monitoring would be beneficial. The different imaging strategies and modalities for cell tracking, as well as the latest approaches to cell labeling in this field, are reviewed in the hope that this will foster a better understanding of the best methods to treat cardiovascular diseases with cellular therapeutics.