Molecular therapies for cardiac arrhythmias

Despite the ongoing advances in pharmacology, devices and surgical approaches to treat heart rhythm disturbances, arrhythmias are still a significant cause of death and morbidity. With the introduction of gene and cell therapy, new avenues have arrived for the local modulation of cardiac disease. This may prove to be an important advantage over pharmacological approaches that are often limited by their global (non-targeted) myocardial effects. This thesis reviews the current state of the field of gene and cell therapy focused on cardiac arrhythmia treatments, and reports a series of studies that are aimed at the advancement of this field.