WebMD, December 1, 2009: "Stem Cells Repair Heart Attack Damage: 'Off-the-Shelf' Stem Cell Product Safe, May Mend Hearts":
Can stem cells safely repair heart attack damage? Yes, a clinical trial suggests. Bone marrow stem cells are supposed to home in on damaged parts of the heart. Once there, they send out signals that help the body repair the injury. There's also evidence, from animal studies, that the stem cells themselves engraft to the heart and help repopulate dead cells with new, living cells.
Now there's evidence from actual patients who suffered heart attacks. It comes from a study led by cardiologist Joshua M. Hare, director of the stem cell institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and colleagues at nine other medical centers.
South Florida Business Journal, November 30, 2009, 5:00pm EST | Modified: Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 12:00am: "UM study: Stem cells help heart patients":
A study led by the University of Miami may cause a sea change in cardiac care as it shows stem cells from bone marrow appear to help heart attack patients recover better. Columbia, Md.-based Osiris Therapeutics commissioned the Phase I study of its product – a stem cell derived from bone marrow – in 53 patients at 10 hospitals nationwide. The study was led by Dr. Joshua M. Hare, a cardiologist and director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at UM’s Miller School of Medicine. The results are published in the Dec. 8 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Miami Herald, November 30, 2009: "Damaged hearts may heal with adult stem cells":
Adult stem cells may help repair hearts damaged by heart attack -- in part by becoming heart cells themselves. That was the finding of a new study, released Monday, that points to a promising new treatment for heart attack patients that could reduce mortality and lessen the need for heart transplants. Adult stem cells also could aid in healing damaged livers, kidneys, pancreases and other organs. If confirmed by further trials, the new therapy could be in general use within five years, estimates Dr. Joshua Hare, a University of Miami cardiologist and lead author of the national 10-university study.
