Unsolved Problems in Heart Repair

Treating ischemic heart disease is a key challenge for the healthcare system in developed countries, and increasingly so for developing countries, due to the growing prevalence of this disease; particularly because of its long-term effects. In Europe and the United States alone, 1.5 million acute myocardial infarctions are treated each year.
 
Regenerative medicine is expected to contribute hopeful solutions to treat congestive heart failure, but advancement is hindered by the lack of uniform application and agreement on the methods used and, as a result, it is difficult to compare the results obtained in different laboratories. This has led to controversy and confusion among experts working in the field of cardiac regenerative therapy and the mechanisms involved.
 
These debates, coorganized by B·Debate and the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute, aim to discuss the limitations of current experimental methods and strategies to treat congestive heart failure, to identify strategies to overcome these in the future, and to establish standards to improve new clinical studies, interpret data obtained and transfer the results to clinical practice.