Myocardial regeneration protocols towards the routine clinical scenario: An unseemly path from bench to bedside

Heart failure secondary to cardiomyocyte loss and/or dysfunction is the number one killer worldwide. The field of myocardial regeneration with its far-reaching primary goal of cardiac remuscularization and its hard-to-accomplish translation from bench to bedside, has been filled with ups and downs, steps forward and steps backward, controver-sies galore and, unfortunately, scientific scandals. Despite the present morass in which cardiac remuscularization is stuck in, the search for clinically effective regenerative approaches remains keenly active. Starting with a concise overview of the still highly debated regenerative capacity of the adult mammalian heart, we focus on the main inter-ventions, that have reached or are close to clinical use, critically discussing key findings, successes, and failures. Finally, some promising and innovative approaches for myocardial repair/regeneration still at the pre-clinical stage are discussed to offer a holistic view on the future of myocardial repair/regeneration for the prevention/management of heart failure in the clinical scenario.