Further developments in the Stem Cell field. At risk of an inappropriate computing analogy, it looks as though Stem Cells really can be used as a “bootstrap” for the body.

Doctors have launched a trial to test whether heart disease can be treated using a patient’s own stem cells.

The study, at Barts and the London NHS Trust, is funded by a charity set up by a man who underwent stem cell treatment for his heart condition in Germany.

The aim will be to determine whether adult stem cells taken from bone marrow can repair damaged heart muscle.

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Some patients will have stem cells extracted from bone marrow in their hip and injected into their major coronary arteries or directly into their heart.

Others will receive injections of growth factor drugs to try to cause stem cells to spill out of their bone marrow and into their blood without the need for the operation.

Huge potential

Lead researcher Dr Anthony Mathur said: “This is one of the biggest and most comprehensive trials of its kind in the world.

Ian Rosenberg has benefitted from stem cell therapy

“Our studies will tell us if adult stem cells in bone marrow can repair damaged hearts and if so how these cells should be administered to patients.

“There is growing evidence to suggest that stem cells may benefit people with serious heart conditions, such as heart failure or those who have had heart attacks.”

Stem cells are the body’s master cells, with the ability to turn into almost any type of cell in the body.

Dr Mathur said harnessing the cell’s potential to repair damaged heart muscle good be good news for the 2.7m people with heart disease in the UK.

Link: BBC Health.