New Stem Cell Studies for Heart Therapies Begin

Staff

In studies scheduled to begin at Cedars-Sinai, autologous (derived from patients themselves) stem cells will be used to treat heart attack and heart failure. Studies in these areas are advanced and are expected to provide clinical results within a few years. The goal is to have stem cells providing healthy new heart cells to replace those damaged by disease.

For the development of “biological pacemakers,” the researchers will be studying whether human embryonic stem cells can be engineered to become heart pacing cells that could be implanted to actually restore a heart’s natural rhythm, even responding to varying demands – something artificial pacemakers can’t do. The complex process of creating biological pacemakers appears feasible in laboratory work but needs to progress through years of development and preclinical trials before being approved for human studies.