NEW ORLEANS — US researchers from Johns Hopkins University presented evidence that cardiac patients can benefit from treatment with their own stem cells drawn from the right ventricle of the heart. The cells are drawn from the patient's heart through a catheter needle inserted through arteries in the neck.
Cells were collected with this method from 23 patients. The harvested cell clusters developed from the samples, called cardiospheres, contain cells that can regenerate themselves and develop into more specialized cells that “conduct electricity and contract, two key properties of healthy heart tissue and a key feature to any potential long-term treatment of heart failure,” according to a Johns Hopkins Medicine Office of Corporate Communications press release. The research builds upon work done by European scientists and shows that treatments with stem cells from ethical sources are showing consistent potential.
“Cardiac stem cells, grown from the heart itself, offer particular promise in that they can regenerate beating heart muscle,” said Eduardo Marban, lead investigator of the study.
The experimental findings were presented at the American Heart Association's meeting in New Orleans. Initial tests showed success with pig heart cells and trials will move to the next stage within 18 months. If the treatment is developed it may reduce the need for transplant surgery and eliminate the problem of immune system rejection of donor tissue.
Dr. Marban said, “Harnessing the potential benefits of therapy with adult stem cells is imperative if we are to make rapid progress in treating heart disease. Our basic research is trying to overcome the biological problems in harnessing heart stem cells, so we are very excited about our success in growing and analyzing these cells.”
The pig studies show that the right ventricle of the heart is a rich source of stem cells. In the past similar work was done with cells taken from bone marrow but the process of extracting them can be difficult and painful.
See also:
Stem Cell Treatment Offers Hope for Cardiac Patients
(This update courtesy of LifeSiteNews.com.)
