The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an essential component of the heart that imparts
fundamental cellular processes during organ development and homeostasis. Most …

Current therapies for heart failure after myocardial infarction are limited and non-curative.
Although regenerative approaches are receiving significant attention, clinical efforts that …

After decades of directed research, no effective regenerative therapy is currently available to
repair the injured human heart. The epicardium, a layer of mesothelial tissue that envelops …

Stem cell therapy for cardiac disease is an exciting but highly controversial research area.
Strategies such as cell transplantation and reprogramming have demonstrated both …

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) converts epithelial cells to mobile and
developmentally plastic mesenchymal cells. All cells in the heart arise from one or more …

Despite improvements in modern cardiovascular therapy, the morbidity and mortality of
ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and heart failure (HF) remain significant in Europe and …

Cellular switching from an epithelial-to-mesenchymal phenotype, and conversely from a
mesenchymal-toepithelial phenotype, are important biological programs that are operative …

Cardiac regeneration is a rapidly evolving and controversial field of research. The
identification some 12 years ago of progenitor cells that reside within the heart spurred …

During development, cardiogenesis is orchestrated by a family of heart progenitors that build
distinct regions of the heart. Each region contains diverse cell types that assemble to form …

In the adult, tissue repair after injury is generally compromised by fibrosis, which maintains
tissue integrity with scar formation but does not restore normal architecture and function. The …