For the first time in humans a doctor has extracted adult stem cells from fat tissue and injected them directly into the heart as a therapy for angina and heart disease. Physicians in Spain--working with investigators at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston--say that it will be at least six months before they can determine if the therapy is working. Another 35 volunteers suffering from chronic myocardial ischemia, a severe form of end-stage coronary artery disease, will be given the therapy developed by Cytori Therapeutics. In preclinical tests the therapy spurred improved circulation in the heart.
"Patients with chronic heart disease today have few options making this an important milestone for the affected patients and doctors that treat them," said Marc H. Hedrick, M.D., president for Cytori Therapeutics. "This study is designed to show unequivocally whether the cells from our Celution System can be safely introduced into the heart."
- see the release on the trial
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