Heart infarct in NOD-SCID mice: therapeutic vasculogenesis by transplantation of human CD34+ cells and low dose CD34+KDR+ cells

Hematopoietic (Hem) and endothelial (End) lineages derive from a common progenitor cell, the hemangioblast: specifically, the human cord blood (CB) CD34+KDR+ cell fraction comprises primitive Hem and End cells, as well as hemangioblasts. In humans, the potential therapeutic role of Hem and End progenitors in ischemic heart disease is subject to intense investigation. Particularly, the contribution of these cells to angiogenesis and cardiomyogenesis in myocardial ischemia is not well established. In our studies, we induced myocardial infarct (MI) in the immunocompromised NOD-SCID mouse model, and monitored the effects of myocardial transplantation of human CB CD34+ cells on cardiac function.…