April 18, 2017 by Gian Galassi

A research team at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health has treated its first patient in an innovative clinical trial using stem cells for the treatment of heart failure that develops after a heart attack.

The trial is taking place at University Hospital, one of three sites nationwide currently enrolling participants. The investigational CardiAMP therapy is designed to deliver a high dose of a patient's own bone-marrow cells directly to the point of cardiac injury to potentially stimulate the body's natural healing response.

The patient experience with the trial begins with a cell-potency screening test. Patients who qualify for therapy are scheduled for a bone-marrow aspiration. The bone marrow is then processed on-site and subsequently delivered directly to the damaged regions in a patient's heart in a minimally invasive procedure.

"Patients living with heart failure experience a variety of negative symptoms that can greatly impact their day-to-day life," said UW Health cardiologist Dr. Amish Raval, associate professor of medicine and one of the principal investigators for the trial. "By being at the forefront of research for this debilitating condition, we look forward to studying the potential of this cell therapy to impact a patient's exercise capacity and quality of life."

The primary outcome to be measured is the change in distance during a six-minute walk 12 months after the initial baseline measurement.

Heart failure commonly occurs after a heart attack, when the heart muscle is weakened and cannot pump enough blood to meet the body's needs for blood and oxygen. About 790,000 people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year. The number of adults living with heart failure increased from about 5.7 million (2009-2012) to about 6.5 million (2011-2014), and the number of adults diagnosed with heart failure is expected to dramatically rise by 46 percent by the year 2030, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

The CardiAMP Heart Failure Trial is a phase III study of up to 260 patients at up to 40 centers nationwide. Phase III trials are conducted to measure effectiveness of the intervention, monitor side effects and gather information for future use of the procedure. Study subjects must be diagnosed with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class II or III heart failure as a result of a previous heart attack.

Information about eligibility or enrollment in the trial is available at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, or through a cardiologist.

Explore further: Stem cell patch shows early promise in treating heart failure

Patching a damaged heart with a patient's own muscle stem cells improves symptoms of heart failure, according to a Phase I clinical trial reported in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the ...

In the largest German survey on heart failure to date, investigators found that the overall awareness of heart failure has not increased over the past decade and is not at a satisfactory level.

Heart failure patients who are getting by on existing drug therapies can look forward to a far more effective medicine in the next five years or so, thanks to University of Alberta researchers.

(HealthDay)Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased risk of heart failure, according to a study published in the March 14 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

A cardiovascular team at University of Utah Hospital has successfully performed a first-in-the-world heart procedure on a 72-year-old attorney after suffering a large heart attack. Amit N. Patel, M.D. M.S., director of clinical ...

Using a multi-cell therapy called Ixmyelocel, produced from a patient's (autologous) own bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs), an ongoing clinical trial named "ixCELL-DCM" is being conducted in various locations in the ...

Scientists at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) have discovered a new mechanism of action of metoprolol, a drug that can reduce the damage produced during a heart attack if administered ...

(Medical Xpress)A team of researchers at the University of Nottingham in the U.K. has found that artificial intelligence systems can be better at gauging a patient's risk of a heart attack than doctors using a standard ...

A team of biomedical engineering researchers, led by the University of Minnesota, has created a revolutionary 3D-bioprinted patch that can help heal scarred heart tissue after a heart attack. The discovery is a major step ...

People who suffer heart attacks or cardiac arrests in the vicinity of an ongoing major marathon are more likely to die within a month due to delays in transportation to nearby hospitals, according to newly published research ...

People living in areas that restrict trans fats in foods had fewer hospitalizations for heart attack and stroke compared to residents in areas without restrictions, according to a study led by a Yale researcher. This finding ...

UCLA scientists have found that conscious sedationa type of anesthesia in which patients remain awake but are sleepy and pain-freeis a safe and viable option to general anesthesia for people undergoing a minimally invasive ...

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

Follow this link:
First participant treated in trial of stem-cell therapy for heart failure - Medical Xpress