posted on 2019-02-18, 00:00authored byDeliang Shen, Zhenhua Li, Shiqi Hu, Ke Huang, Teng Su, Hongxia Liang, Feiran Liu, Ke Cheng
Stem cell therapies have shown promise
in treating acute and chronic
ischemic heart disease. However, current therapies are limited by
the low retention and poor integration of injected cells in the injured
tissue. Taking advantage of the natural infarct-homing ability of
platelets, we engineered CD34 antibody-linked platelets (P-CD34) to
capture circulating CD34-positive endogenous stem cells and direct
them to the injured heart. In vitro, P-CD34 could
bind to damaged aortas and capture endogenous stem cells in whole
blood. In a mouse model of acute myocardial infarction, P-CD34 accumulated
in the injured heart after intravenous administration, leading to
a concentration of endogenous CD34 stem cells in the injured heart
for effective heart repair. This represents a new technology for endogenous
stem cell therapy.