Adult cardiac stem cell clinical trial for myocardial regeneration underway

A national clinical trial in the USA is investigating the use of allogeneic adult cardiac stem cells for regeneration of cardiac tissue after a heart attack.

A US double-blind Phase I/II clinical trial known as ALLSTAR is currently recruiting participants in order to determine whether Capricor Therapeutics, Inc.’s (Beverly Hills, CA, USA) proprietary off-the-shelf stem cell product of allogeneic cardiosphere-derived cells (CAP-1002) are a safe and effective treatment for decreasing infarct size in patients following a heart attack.

Lenox Hill Hospital (New York, NY, USA) is one of 32 medical centers carrying out the investigation into whether or not the heart-derived adult stem cells can repair damaged or dead heart muscle when directly infused into the affected area, and is currently recruiting participants who have sustained moderate to severe heart damage caused by a myocardial infarction within the last 12 months.

Each year a total of 735,000 individuals suffer a myocardial infarction in the USA — just over 1 per minute — and the disease can result in heart failure, which is a leading cause of death and disability in the USA. “This groundbreaking trial could provide us with the breakthrough we have been searching for for many years. A positive outcome would be a game-changer,” explained Varinder Singh, MD, chairman of cardiovascular medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital and site principal investigator. “The ability to essentially heal impaired and dead cardiac tissue would improve not just the odds of survival but could significantly enhance the quality of life for heart attack survivors.”

Sources: http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/clinical-trial-repair-damaged-heart-muscle-with-cardiac-stem-cells-currently-underway-2135104.htm; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01458405?term=allstar&rank=1