Abstract 17581: Evidence for Circulating Stem Cells Derived from the Human Heart and Their Therapeutic Potential

Introduction and Hypothesis: Many studies have shown resident cardiac stem cells in myocardium as well as epicardial progenitor cells in epicardium. However, the presence of stem cells in the endocardium has not been elucidated. In this study, we identified circulating multipotent stem cells from human peripheral blood. Furthermore, we investigated the origin and the therapeutic potential of these cells. Methods and Results: We identified a new population of cells from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, which were quite different from previously reported stem cells. Newly identified cells expressed genes such as Oct3/4, KLF4, Nanog, and c-Myc. Moreover, FACS analysis precluded the possibility that these cells might be hematopoietic stem cells. To investigate the origin of these cells, we collected peripheral blood from patients undergoing bone marrow, liver, heart, or kidney transplantation. After culturing these cells, we could confirm that these stem cells were derived from the human heart by ide...