Study Shows Stem Cell Therapy May Reduce Heart Attack And Stroke Risk In Certain Heart Failure Patients

Study shows that stem cell therapy may reduce heart attack and stroke in certain heart failure patients. A groundbreaking study has revealed that stem cell therapy using adult stem cells from bone marrow could drastically reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in critical heart failure patients. Recent research that was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, shows that a single dose of adult stem cells, administered directly into an inflamed heart through a catheter, resulted in an astonishing 58% long-term decrease in the risk of heart attack or stroke amid heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction—meaning those with declining heart muscles.

Stem Cell Therapy Insight From Dr. Emerson Perin

Dr. Emerson Perin, the leading author of the new study and a practicing cardiologist and medical director at The Texas Heart Institute in Texas, claimed that during the three-year follow-up of the patients, their hearts showed increased strength, and there was a noteworthy decline in heart attack and stroke events, especially among those with heightened inflammation levels in their blood. The study notates the largest clinical trial of stem cell therapy conducted to date in heart failure patients, a grave condition where the heart is not able to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body.

This stem cell therapy involves injecting mesenchymal precursor cells directly into the heart, which possess powerful anti-inflammatory properties. This is vital, because chronic heart failure is usually associated with an increase in inflammation. Presently, over 6 million adults in the US suffer from chronic heart failure, and most are treated with drugs that confront the symptoms of the disorder. The study proposes that when used alongside heart failure medications, stem cell therapy can greatly benefit these patients by confronting the root cause and reducing inflammation.

The Research

The research, sponsored by Australian biotechnology company Mesoblast, involved 565 heart failure patients aged 18 to 80, with weakened heart muscles. These patients were randomly assigned to receive either stem cell therapy or a placebo at 51 study sites across North America. The patients receiving cell therapy were administered about 150 million stem cells from the bone marrow of three healthy young adult donors, injected directly to the heart through a catheter.

Throughout the study, the researchers meticulously monitored each patient for heart-related events and life-threatening arrhythmias. Compared to the patients who received the placebo, the patients treated with stem cell therapy exhibited a statistically monumental strengthening of the heart's left pumping chamber within a year. The therapy also resulted in an overall 58% reduction in the risk of heart attack or stroke, with an even greater reduction of 75% in patients with heightened inflammation levels.

Stem Cell Therapy May Reduce Heart Attack And Stroke Risk

Cardiologists that were indirectly involved in the study, Dr. Nieca Goldberg and Dr. Brett Victor for example, have shown interest in the therapy's potential benefits, especially for patients with inflammation-related heart failure. They believe that further research will continue to explore cardiac cell therapy's possibilities and its role in treating and curing heart failure alongside existing therapies and lifestyle changes.