Jul 27, 2009 03:45 PM in Health & Medicine | 14 comments
Man Receives His Own Stem Cells as a Treatment for Heart Failure
The first person to receive a new cardiac stem cell treatment in a U.S. Food and Drug Administration clinical trial is doing well, it was announced last week.
On Friday, doctors at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, in collaboration with the nearby Jewish Hospital, issued a press release stating that one week after treatment, Mike Jones’s heart was getting stronger.
Jones, whose heart tissue is permanently scarred and weakened by two previous heart attacks, suffers from congestive heart failure, a condition affecting about five million Americans each year, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Currently, two treatment options predominate for patients with heart failure, said Mark Slaughter, a cardiovascular surgeon who aided in the trial. A person can receive a heart transplant or a mechanically assisted heart device.
The new approach, using a patient’s adult stem cells to regenerate healthy heart tissue, is currently in phase I clinical trials to test for safety. The procedure consists of removing healthy heart tissue from the patient, purifying the stem cells from the material, and allowing the stem cell population to grow. Once ready, the stem cells are reintroduced into the scarred region of the heart using a minimally invasive technique.
Since the re-injection of his own stem cells on July 17, Jones’s heart has increased its ability to pump blood by about 5 percent. Jones commented in the University of Louisville School of Medicine press release that he felt so good he might “even start jogging again.”
The doctors will continue monitoring Jones every few months for the next two years to measure his recovery. There are currently 13 more patients going through the phase I trial, and the researchers hope to eventually test a total of 20 patients.
Last month, a group at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles made news with a similar technique that was undergoing clinical trials. Instead of using purified stem cells, the group is using a mixture of cells, including stem cells, to regenerate heart tissue. Ken Miles, the first patient to receive the treatment, told CBS’s The Early Show that he “feels great.”
Image of heart model by ericsphotography via iStockphoto
Read More About: heart, failure, stem cellYou Might Also Like
Discuss This Article
Subscription Center
Most Popular Blog Posts
9,000-year-old brew hitting the shelves this summer
New solar-cell efficiency record set
AIDS vaccine surprises scientists, proves partially successful
Is birth control the answer to environmental ills?
Editor's Pick
-
Adapting to the Freshwater CrisisForward-thinking experts are getting a better handle on the growing global water shortage and coming up with innovative approaches to ensuring the security, safety and sustainability of this resource
Health & Medicine Newsletter
Get weekly coverage delivered to your inboxPodcasts
-
60-Second Earth
RSS ·
iTunes
The Jellyfish Menace
click to enable
-
60-Second Science
RSS ·
iTunes
Plants Share Light If Neighbor Is Related
click to enable
Slideshows
Putting Madness in Its Place: Can the Environment Explain Schizophrenia's Hereditary Patterns?
Researchers Try to Solve the Mystery of HIV Carriers Who Don't Contract AIDS
The AMA eases its stance on marijuana
For Sale: Human Eggs Become a Research Commodity
Government panel recommends fewer and later mammograms, no self-exams
Fight to protect California condors from lead ammunition moves to Arizona
Circulation of LHC Beams Could Resume in Earnest over the Weekend
Measuring Up: New NIST Director, Plus Big Budget Put Measurement Science in Public Eye
How Long Can a Nuclear Reactor Last?
What to Do About Endocrine Disruptors? A Q&A with Linda Birnbaum



