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World J Transplant. Dec 24, 2013; 3(4): 119-126
Published online Dec 24, 2013. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v3.i4.119
Preclinical stem cell therapy in Chagas Disease: Perspectives for future research
Katherine Athayde Teixeira de Carvalho, Eltyeb Abdelwahid, Reginaldo Justino Ferreira, Ana Carolina Irioda, Luiz Cesar Guarita-Souza
Katherine Athayde Teixeira de Carvalho, Ana Carolina Irioda, Cell Therapy and Biotechnology in Regenerative Medicine Research Group, Pequeno Príncipe Faculty, Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Institute, Curitiba 80250-200, Paraná, Brazil
Katherine Athayde Teixeira de Carvalho, Reginaldo Justino Ferreira, Bioprocess Engineering and Biotechnology Department, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba 81531-970, Paraná, Brazil
Eltyeb Abdelwahid, CBRC, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Ma 02129, United States
Reginaldo Justino Ferreira, Federal University of Technology, Curitiba 80230-901, Paraná, Brazil
Luiz Cesar Guarita-Souza, Experimental Laboratory of Institute of Biological and Health Sciences of Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, Curitiba 80215-901, Paraná, Brazil
Author contributions: de Carvalho KAT proposed the review, analyzed the data; Irioda AC collected the data; de Carvalho KAT, Abdelwahid E and Guarita-Souza LC wrote the manuscript; Ferreira RJ performed the references; de Carvalho KAT edited the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Katherine Athayde Teixeira de Carvalho, Professor, MD, PhD, Cell Therapy and Biotechnology in Regenerative Medicine Research Group, Pequeno Príncipe Faculty, Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Research Institute, Av. Siva Jardim 1632, Curitiba 80250-200, Paraná, Brazil. katherinecarv@gmail.com
Telephone: +55-41-33101719 Fax: +55-41-33221446
Received: August 29, 2013
Revised: September 16, 2013
Accepted: October 18, 2013
Published online: December 24, 2013
Processing time: 124 Days and 11.1 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: The manuscript discusses examples that demonstrate how the results from preclinical trials might have overestimated the efficacy of myocardial regeneration with cell therapies, particularly in Chagas Disease and addressing the challenges associated with future research. The failure of cell therapy can be explained by crucial differences between the cellular types and pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease, as well as the differences between human patients and animal models.