Huge philanthropic grant funds pioneering stem cell-based heart attack therapy

The 2027 trial will include a small cohort of about 18 patients who have experienced a severe heart attack, resulting in significant damage to the heart muscle. Designed primarily to assess safety and feasibility, the study will evaluate delivery of stem-cell-derived heart muscle cells into damaged regions of the heart. Researchers will also explore early signs of biological activity and potential improvements in cardiac function, while closely monitoring participants throughout their recovery and follow up care.

Without this type of regenerative treatment, many of these patients might not survive the severe damage following a heart attack, and many of those who do manage to leave the hospital would have difficulty with the simplest daily tasks, such as walking to the mailbox. The hope of this new therapeutic is to return these patients to their health status before they experienced a heart attack, ideally with few, if any, limitations on their daily activities.

"These cells are a new kind of living medicine," said Murry. "Once they are injected into the heart, they become active in repairing and synchronizing with the rest of the heart muscle. We've been working on this for more than two decades and are now at the threshold of a breakthrough in cardiology."

Source:

Keck School of Medicine of USC