With the ability to regenerate themselves and act as a repair system, stem cells are being used in a variety of ways to fight disease and even grow new organs and tissue.

There are two types of stem cells: adult stem cells -- found in adult tissues -- and embryonic stem cells -- found in early human embryos.

Heated debates continue to race on regarding the ethic issues surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells, but adult stem cells -- particularly those found in umbilical cord blood and bone marrow -- are touted as promising candidates for many medical therapies and have been used for years to treat leukemia and related bone/blood cancers through bone marrow transplants.

Despite advances in cardiovascular care and a growing body of evidence surrounding nutrition and exercise as it relates to heart health, congestive heart failure -- the ineffective pumping of the heart caused by the loss or dysfunction of heart muscle cells -- continues to affect more than five million Americans with another 550,000 new cases diagnosed each year, according to the American Heart Association.

What's scarier: more than half of patients diagnosed with congestive heart failure die within five years of their initial diagnosis. Research shows therapies like clot-busting medications can reestablish blood flow to damaged regions of the heart. Now, scientists are using stem cells to replace dead or impaired muscle cells to strengthen weakened hearts.

Researchers are now using adult stem cells from a patient's own bone marrow to strengthen weakened hearts. By extracting stem cells -- between 25 and 40 million of them -- from a patient's own bone marrow, doctors can replace the cells into weakened heart muscle. Because they are using the patient's own cells, there is no risk of rejection and doctors can create better blood flow to areas of the heart that aren't getting it.

Relief isn't immediate. It can take up to four months for patients to feel the effects of stem cells implanted in their heart. Stem cell therapy may not be appropriate for all patients suffering from congestive heart failure. Doctors at the Texas Heart Institute say at this point, it's more of a last resort option when bypass surgery and other methods fail.

In June 2007, a large trial involving patients who had recently suffered a heart attack were injected with stem cells from their own bone marrow to see if the therapy would prevent the cell death and subsequent scarring of heart muscle that typically follows a heart attack.

Additional Resource:

Texas Heart Institute
http://www.texasheart.org
Heart Information Center
(800) 292-2221