CELL FUSION PROMOTER AND UTILIZATION OF THE SAME
A regeneration promoter for regenerating tissue with the use of somatic stem cells is provided. Also provided are a cell fusion promoter comprising ATP or its metabolite which is safely usable in vivo, a method of producing fused cells in the presence of ATP or its metabolite and a related pharmaceutical composition for regenerating or improving the function of a tissue or an organ in a subject suffering from dysfunction or hypofunction due to injury or denaturation.
1 - 40 . (canceled)
41 . A method of producing a fused cell in a subject in need of regeneration treatment, the method comprising:
administering to a subject in need of regeneration treatment a stem cell and ATP in an amount and at a concentration sufficient to cause the fusion of the stem cell and a somatic cell in the subject to regenerate or improve a cardiac cell, tissue or organ,
wherein said stem cell and said ATP are administered at a site where dysfunction or hypofunction occurs due to cardiac damage or degeneration.
42 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the stem cell is a somatic stem cell.
43 . The method of claim 42 , wherein the somatic stem cell is a bone marrow cell.
44 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the somatic cell is a myocardial cell.
45 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the stem cell is an autologous cell.
46 . The method of claim 41 , wherein said cardiac damage or degeneration is ischemic heart disease due to heart failure.
47 . The method of claim 46 , wherein the heart failure is attributable to heart infarction.
48 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the concentration of ATP is between 1 mM-3 mM.
49 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the ATP is administered in a pharmaceutical composition comprising said ATP and a pharmaceutical carrier.
50 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the method further comprises administering a somatic cell.