Helmut Drexler of University of Freiburg, Germany and his colleagues treated sufferers of acute myocardial infarctions (i.e. heart attacks) with bone marrow stem cells and found that the bone marrow stem cells boosted the volume of blood pumped by the left ventricle of the heart.
60 patients who had undergone successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; balloon angioplasty and coronary stenting) to restore coronary artery bloodflow took part in the study. Half were given bone marrow stem-cell transfer 5 days after PCI, the other half were given optimum medical therapy. Patients who had been given stem-cell transfer had around a 7% improvement in left-ventricular function compared with only a 0.7% increase for patients given medical therapy.
But he added: "Larger trials are needed to address the effect of bone marrow cell transfer on clinical endpoints, such as the incidence of heart failure and survival."
While other studies have used adult stem cells to attempt to repair damaged hearts this is the first study done using adult stem cells and a proper control group of patients. (same article here)
"What makes this notable is it's the first controlled study where they actually have a control group," said Dr. Robert Bonow, chief of cardiology and professor of medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and past president of the American Heart Association. "In previous studies, you didn't know whether the stem cells were responsible or if it was going to happen anyway."
Note that this research is being done in Germany. In the United States the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is throwing up roadblocks even for adult stem cell therapy. The FDA's stance has nothing to do with the debate about embryonic stem cells. Rather, it is part of the FDA's never-ending quest to protect people with fatal diseases from the risk that experimental therapies might harm them. In my view people with fatal diseases ought to be allowed to try experimental therapies and the FDA's position both slows the rate at which treatments are developed and unjustifiably takes away the individual's right to choose which treatment risks are worth taking.
By Randall Parker at 2004 July 11 03:15 PM Biotech Organ Replacement | TrackBackThe FDA's approach to controversial treatments is merely indicative of America's general no-risk attitude. What I mean is that Americans have become so preoccupied with being 100% safe that they would be willing to condemn other people to death than allow them the chance to possibly hurt themselves. (See also: state laws concerning life support.)
I see this especially well from the viewpoint of a computer security student. Many people in the field have forgotten that 100% security is impossible; the resultant attitude toward security leads to preposterous 'solutions' and a complete lack of real progress.
vDear Sir
I am 66 years old Medical Practitioner,retired 11 years due to cardiac problems.
Briefly I had :
MI in March 1990 followed with 1st CABG (4 vessel) in Aug 1990.
MI in 1993
MI in 1996 followed by stenting the blocked garfts in Feb 1997.This failed in May 1997 and was tried another stenting after unblocking but that failed on the table.
I had my 2nd CABG 4 vessel in Nov 1997 followed by very slow recovery - touch and go situation.
In 1999 May I had an attack of Ventricular Tachycardia,but luckily reversed in Coronary care unit after injection and withour defibrillation.
I had an Internal Cardioverter Implant in June 1999 after a lot of electro physiological studies that could not ablate the faulty spot.
Since then I am suffering from progressive Congestive cardiac failure with poor ventricular function and very low exercise tolerance.I am very easily exhausted from morning to night.
I shall be grateful for your advice if I am suitable for a STEM cell implant research to improve the qualitty of my life.
I would like help in finding out where in Germany this research has taken place with good and encouraging results.
I shall be very grateful if you can provide more information as I am trying to scour the internet to get to the right place for information.
Can you please help
Dr B N Jayaswal