Stem cells in cardiopulmonary development: Implications for novel approaches to therapy for pediatric cardiopulmonary disease

One of the most exciting discoveries of recent times is that of the stem cell. While hematopoieitic stem cells were identified in the 1960's, representing the prototypic “adult stem cell”, the pace of knowledge about embryonic stem cells has advanced substantially in the past decade. New data is emerging regarding the continuum between embryonic cardiac precursors and cardiac stem cells found postnatally and in adulthood. The new biological insights offer new opportunities to understand cardiomyogenesis, physiologically and pathophysiologically. Importantly, new therapeutic opportunities are beginning to emerge as well. While the pace of the cell-based therapy field has already led to clinical trials for adult cardiac diseases, this new field has the potential to advance dramatically insights and therapies for congenital heart disease and other cardiopulmonary diseases of neonates and children.