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A new study has revealed that transplanting one’s stem cells into heart can help treat people with heart disease. Patients with severe angina experience less pain and their ability to walk is enhanced.
The largest national stem cell study for heart disease revealed that transplant subjects also faced fewer deaths than those who didn''t receive stem-cell treatment.
In the 12-month Phase II, double-blind test, subjects' own purified stem cells, called CD34+ cells, were infused into their hearts in an effort to encourage the growth of small blood vessels that make up the microcirculation of the heart muscle.
According to the study, the loss of these blood vessels adds to the pain of chronic, severe angina.
"This is the first study to show significant benefit in pain reduction and improved exercise capacity in this population with very advanced heart disease," said Principal Investigator Dr. Douglas Losordo at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
He also said that this research offers the first confirmation that a person's own stem cells can be used as a treatment for heart disease. However, he warned that the findings of the 25-site trial with 167 subjects, require verification in a larger, Phase III research.
The stem cell transplant is the first therapy to yield an improvement in severe angina subjects’ ability to walk on a treadmill.
Twelve months after the process, the transplant subjects were able to double their progress on a treadmill compared to the placebo group.
In the test, the CD34+ cells were injected into 10 areas in the heart muscle. A sophisticated electromechanical mapping technology recognised where the heart muscle is alive but not functioning, because of insufficient blood supply.
The study was presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.
