Current status and prospects of cardiovascular stem/progenitor cells in cardiovascular regenerative medicine

The retraction of more than 30 falsified studies by Anversa et al. from Harvard University has a frustrating impact on cardiovascular stem cell research. The theory of regenerating myocardium by differentiation of bone marrow cells or adult heart resident stem/progenitor cells has been denied while countless researchers have spent a lot of energy and financial resources on this seemingly “no income” research in the past 20 years. But the achievements of stem/progenitor cells in cardiovascular research are abundant, and should not be denied because of Anversa et al. This article reviews the controversy in the “Anversa events”, summarizes the current research progress of cardiac and vascular stem/progenitor cells, and prospects for future research directions.