A pioneering treatment that uses stem cells to repair a ‘broken’ heart could transform the lives of people with a potentially fatal cardiac condition. The 15-minute procedure involves cells taken from a patient’s own body, which are then reinjected into their heart to repair damaged muscle. It is hoped that the procedure could improve the quality of life for patients suffering from heart failure, which affects 900,000 people in the UK. The condition is caused by the heart failing to pump enough blood around the body at the right pressure, because the muscle has become too weak or stiff to work properly. It causes breathlessness and extreme tiredness, and can even lead to sudden death. +2 For most people, it is a long-term condition that cannot be cured, and that is instead managed with medication. In the most serious cases, a heart transplant may be required. Now the stem-cell treatment could give fresh hope for people suffering from the debilitating effects of the condition. The treatment has already been performed on 300 patients at Barts Health NHS Trust in London, and further trials for up to 2,000 more patients are due to start later this year. First, bone marrow is removed from the patient – via a needle inserted into the hip bone – from which it is possible to separate stem cells. These cells have the unique ability to change into different cell types. The cells are processed in a laboratory before being injected back into the patient’s heart to repair the damaged tissue. The procedure is carried out under general anaesthetic. ‘We are not exactly sure why it works,’ said Professor Anthony Mathur, the trial’s chief co-ordinator at Barts and Queen Mary University of London. ‘It may be that the stem cells repair the partially damaged tissue, rather than regenerate new tissue. But whatever the process, we have had very positive results from the patients who have had the treatment so far.’ It is hoped that the 15-minute procedure could improve the quality of life for patients suffering from heart failure, which affects 900,000 people in the UK In most cases, heart failure does not have one single cause, but is the result of a number of factors including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, an abnormal rhythm or weak heart muscles. Finding the right treatment is crucial. Most people have symptoms that can be controlled with medication such as beta-blockers. However, others have severe symptoms that may require surgery or even a transplant. At an estimated £40 million, the cost of continuing the stem-cell trial at Barts is high. There is currently no Government funding for this kind of research and the trial is being bankrolled by the Heart Cells Foundation, the UK Stem Cells Foundation and the Barts Charity. Private investment is also being sought. Prof Mathur says that if the next stage of the trial is successful and the treatment is made more widely available, the cost of the procedure could fall to less than £5,000 per patient. Heart Cells Foundation chairman Jenifer Rosenberg says it would be ‘devastating’ if the trials were not able to continue. source
