Regenerating damaged heart tissue with stem cell bioimplants
A first-in-human clinical trial has demonstrated that PeriCord, a novel bioimplant to stimulate the regeneration of damaged heart tissue, is safe and tolerable, with early indications of anti-inflammatory properties.
When patients suffer a myocardial infarction (more commonly known as a heart attack), they are left with scar tissue in the affected area of their heart. While this helps to retain the existing heart structure, the scar tissue does not possess many of the key mechanical properties of original cardiac tissue, resulting in impaired cardiac function. Advanced therapy products utilizing stem cells have emerged as a potential treatment to help regenerate cardiac tissue and restore cardiac function.
PeriCord is a novel bioimplant developed by the ICREC (Heart Failure and Cardiac Regeneration) research group at Germans Trias I Pujol Research Institute and Banc de Sang I Teixits (both Barcelona, Spain) that contains donated allogeneic umbilical cord stem cells and decellularized heart tissue.
In their recent first-in-human clinical trial, the group tested the bioimplant in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery following a myocardial infarction. Of the 12 patients included in the study, seven received the PeriCord bioimplant, which was applied following surgical revascularization. A control group of five patients underwent the standard surgical procedure but did not receive the implant.
Following a year of monitoring and observation, the research group was able to conclude that the PeriCord implant was safe and tolerable. Its application did not significantly affect the time taken to complete the surgery and it demonstrated strong biocompatibility – meaning a low risk of rejection with no adverse events seen.
While the purpose of this particular study was not to assess PeriCord’s ability to regenerate scar tissue, the group did observe the stimulation of anti-inflammatory responses related to tissue repair – a promising sign of potential efficacy.
“This pioneering human clinical trial comes after many years of research in tissue engineering, representing a very innovative and hopeful treatment for patients with a heart scar resulting from a heart attack,” enthused Antoni Bayés, ICREC researcher and first author of the article.
The authors are hopeful that the bioimplant’s anti-inflammatory properties could be applicable in a wider range of applications, as well as in improving quality of life for patients who have suffered heart attacks.
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