The isolation and expansion of cardiac stem cells (CSCs) opens new opportunities to the field of cardiac regenerative medicine. CSCs have been isolated from human and murine tissues, demonstrating the presence of a non-circulating stem cell niche within the myocardium that comprises approximately 11-14% of the total cell population. These cells appear to be bi-potent in their capacity to form cardiomyocytes and vascular endothelial cells. Moreover, preliminary engraftment studies suggest that these cells are ideal candidates for future research on cardiac regeneration.
Millipore has developed an easy-to-use CSC isolation kit and optimized media. Together, these enable the collection and culture of high-yield, pure populations of CSCs without the need for time-consuming, complex protocols and expensive cell sorting equipment.
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