Cardiopoietic index predicts heart repair fitness of patient-derived stem cells

Background: Stem cell therapy shows promise for regeneration in heart disease, yet interpatient variability challenges implementation into practice. Aim: To establish a biomarker profile, predictive of reparative potential in patient-derived progenitors, human mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. Materials & methods: Stem cell delivery postinfarction translated into divergent benefit, distinguishing reparative from nonreparative populations. Results: While the nonreparative subtype was characterized by low expression of cardiac transcription factors, reparative human mesenchymal stem cells demonstrated high expression of cardiac transcription factors. Conclusion: This index of factors (cardiopoietic index) was found sensitive and specific in predicting impact of stem cell benefit on left ventricular function. The cardiopoietic index thus offers a tool to screen stem cell fitness for heart repair prior to intervention.