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Stem Cell Trial Offers Hope for Patients
with Severe Ischemic Heart Disease
BOSTON - February 26, 2008 - Patients with ischemic heart
disease, a serious condition that occurs when the heart's arteries
become clogged with cholesterol plaque, may have new options if
they have exhausted traditional cardiovascular therapies. A clinical
trial at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Heart Center is
using patients' own stem cells to improve circulation in hearts
damaged by inadequate blood flow, by promoting the growth of new,
microscopic blood vessels.
The clinical trial, called the Autologous Cellular Therapy CD34-Chronic
Myocardial Ischemia (ACT34-CMI) trial, is aimed at patients who
continue to experience severe chest pain and have failed conventional
therapies with medication, angioplasty and stenting, and bypass
surgery.
Douglas Drachman, MD, an interventional cardiologist at the MGH
Heart Center and the lead investigator along with Kenneth Rosenfield,
MD, describes the stem cell therapy as a very promising technique
that may encourage growth of new blood vessels on the heart, thereby
improving blood flow to the vital heart muscle. Better circulation
allows more blood and oxygen to reach the heart, reducing chest
pain, also known as angina.
"Stem cell therapy in the ACT-34 CMI trial could offer an important
new opportunity for patients who otherwise might have no options
- patients who have lifestyle-altering or disabling angina,"
says Drachman. "This is a new type of therapy that may offer
the possibility of real benefit when all conventional treatments
- with medication, angioplasty and stenting, and bypass surgery
- have failed or are no longer an option."
During this trial, each patient's natural production of stem cells
is enhanced through a series of injections of growth factors. The
stem cells are then harvested from the bloodstream through a technique
called apheresis. Using "NOGA" mapping - a sophisticated
catheter-based imaging system that allows physicians to construct
and navigate through a three-dimensional image of the heart - the
research team determines the exact location in the heart's muscle
where improved blood flow is most needed. The catheter system is
then used to inject the cells directly into the heart muscle at
these sites, with the hope that the cells will stimulate the growth
of new blood vessels.
Massachusetts General Hospital is the only site in New England participating
in the multi-center ACT-34 CMI trial. Drachman and his colleagues
are actively engaged in bringing several other stem cell trials
to Mass General in the following year in an effort to improve treatments
not only for patients with ischemic heart disease, but also for
patients with a variety of other conditions ranging from advanced
congestive heart failure to critically reduced circulation in the
legs.
Ischemic heart disease, also called coronary artery disease or coronary
heart disease, is a leading health problem in the United States.
According to Circulation, the journal of the American Heart
Association, coronary heart disease caused one out of every five
deaths in the United States in 2004. In 2008, it is estimated that
770,000 Americans will have a new coronary attack and about 430,000
will have a recurrent attack.
When the coronary arteries leading to the heart become blocked due
to build-up cholesterol plaque and blood clots, the blood flow and
oxygen supply to the heart muscle is impaired. The resulting ischemic
heart disease is a major cause of severe chest pain, heart attacks,
and sudden death.
Founded in 1811, the MGH is the third oldest general hospital in
the United States and the oldest and largest in New England. The
900-bed medical center offers sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic
care in virtually every specialty and subspecialty of medicine and
surgery. Each year the MGH admits more than 46,000 inpatients and
handles nearly 1.5 million outpatient visits at its main campus
and health centers. Its Emergency Department records nearly 80,000
visits annually. The surgical staff performs more than 35,000 operations
and the MGH Vincent Obstetrics Service delivers more than 3,500
babies each year. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research
program in the country, with an annual research budget of more than
$500 million. It is the oldest and largest teaching hospital of
Harvard Medical School, where nearly all MGH staff physicians serve
on the faculty. The MGH is consistently ranked among the nation's
top hospitals by US News and World Report.
Media Contact: Jennifer
Gundersen, MGH Public Affairs
Physician Referral Service: 1-800-388-4644
Information about Clinical Trials
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