Stem Cell Therapy for Vascular Diseases: State of the Evidence and Clinical Applications

Vascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. Distinguished clinical and surgical approaches have attempted to overcome its morbidity and mortality; still 17.9 million people die every year due to vascular affections.

Stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy. Stem cells synthesize and secrete cytokines that promote cell recruitment, immunomodulation, extracellular matrix remodeling, angiogenesis, and neuroregeneration, all of which promote regeneration. Besides that, stem cells are also capable of differentiating in various cell types, being employed in tissue engineering.

Preclinical and clinical investigations have reported efficacy of stem cell therapy for various vascular diseases. Even though results are encouraging, the studies demonstrate variation in stem cell type and origin, route and protocol for administration, and concomitant use of other treatment strategies, impairing easy interpretation of results and clinical application.

The purpose of this book is to compile and comprise the current state of the evidence regarding stem cell therapy for each vascular disease, elucidating possible clinical applications. More than an objective guide for readers on the use of this novel treatment strategy, this publication will advocate for stem cell therapy use and development and will be of significant interest to physicians in a wide range of disciplines as well as researchers.

Tulio Pinho Navarro, MD, PhD

Dr. Tulio Navarro is a surgeon and clinical researcher. He completed his training in general surgery, and vascular and endovascular surgery at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil). He is Associate Professor of Surgery at Faculty of Federal University of Minas Gerais, Head of the Vascular Unit and Board Director of the Postgraduate Program in Surgery and Ophthalmology at the Faculty of Medicine of Federal University of Minas Gerais. He has served as Treasurer of the International Society for Vascular Surgery and as Board Director of the Brazilian Society for Vascular Surgery, and Past President of the Minas Gerais Chapter. He is reviewer editor of BMJ Heart, Aorta (Yale), Brazilian Vascular Journal, and Stem Cell Research & Therapy. One of his research projects is aiming at reducing Amputation Rates in Ischemic and Diabetic patients using every available technology, including stem cell therapy.

Lara Lellis Navarro Minchillo Lopes, MD graduated in Medicine from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (2020). She was a Research Fellow at Vascular Biology Therapeutics, Yale University (2017) and is currently a PhD student on the postgraduate program in surgery and ophthalmology at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, where she conducts preclinical and clinical research on stem cell therapy for chronic limb ischemia.

Alan Dardik, MD, PhD

Dr. Alan Dardik is a surgeon-scientist who applies the power of molecular biology to achieve a modern understanding of vascular disease, using the basic science laboratory to ultimately benefit patients. Dr. Dardik trained at Yale, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Johns Hopkins Hospital before his appointment to the Yale faculty in 2001 where he currently is a Professor of Surgery and of Cellular and Molecular Physiology. He is a Vice-Chair of Yale's Department of Surgery and he has served as Yale's Interim Division Chief of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. Dr. Dardik currently serves as the Editor for the newly-launched journal JVS-Vascular Science; he is the President of the Association of VA Surgeons and the President-elect of the New England Society for Vascular Surgery, and has served as a past President of the International Society for Vascular Surgery. The Dardik laboratory at Yale studies molecular mechanisms by which surgical devices adapt to the patient's environment but frequently proceed in the long-term to neointimal hyperplasia and failure; the laboratory also studies novel methods to deliver stem cells to ischemic legs and diabetic wounds.