Glossary

Stem cells and progenitor cells that are obtained from an adult individual. Sources of such adult cells are for instance bone marrow or blood. They are also found in other organ tissues. In skin for example they have an important role in scar formation after wounding. Adult stem cells from bone marrow are responsible for the continuous formation of new blood cells. Therapies using autologous adult stem cells bear no risk of rejection inside the body and are considered free of ethical issues.

An increase in the diameter of existing arterial vessels.

Donor and recipient are identical. This means that for an autologous cellular product the patient gets back cells that originate from his own cells and not from a foreign donor.

Bone Marrow Cell

Disease characterized by reduced blood supply to the heart muscle, usually due to atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries.

A condition in which the heart becomes weakened and enlarged, and cannot pump blood efficiently.

The tissue covering the inner surface of blood vessels.

Separation of cells by different density levels.

Good Manufacturing Practice

Ischemic means that a tissue is insufficiently supplied with blood and thus suffering from too litle oxygen and nutrients.

Type of cells that can form several tissues in the body, including bone, cartilage, muscles, blood vessels, connective or fatty tissue.

The frequency of a disease in a segment of the population.

Death rate.

Cell carrying the potency of changing itself into different cell types.

Cardiac muscle

Neovascularization is the formation of new capillaries and blood vessels to supply ischemic tissue.

This means that a cell produces and excretes certain factors that have an effect on immediate neighbour cells.

Disease caused by obstruction of large arteries in legs and arms.

Outer part of the body

Progenitor cells are cells with somewhat limited stem cell properties. E.g., they can only differentiate into certain tissue types. In colloquial language, progenitor cells are often referred to as "stem cells".

Restoration of blood flow in a blood vessel where blood flow had been obstructed due to narrowing or closure.

Stem cells are non specialized cells with an unlimited capacity to self renewal and the capacity to differentiate into various cell types. Stem cells are a reservoir for the formation and renewal of organs and tissues.

In cardiology „stenting“ means the application of a stent to a diseased vessel. A stent is a tubular meshwork (metal or other materials) that keeps the vessel lumen open.

Rare inflammatory peripheral vascular disease, also called Buerger's disease

Formation of a blood clot (thrombus) inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system.

Transdifferentiation means that a progenitor cell that is already committed to a certain cell type changes its properties and characteristics to those of another cell type. For instance the changes from a blood renewing progenitor cell into a heart muscle cell would be referred to as transdifferentiation. Experimentally, many forms of transdifferentiation have been described. It is however unclear to what extent this phenomenon is of relevance in regenerating damaged cardiac tissue.

Ventricle means heart chamber.