We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




New Cell Therapy Offers Potential Treatment Option for Patients with Chronic Heart Failure

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 01 Mar 2023
Print article
Image: Physician-scientists have delivered a new first in heart failure treatment using cell therapy (Photo courtesy of The Texas Heart Institute)
Image: Physician-scientists have delivered a new first in heart failure treatment using cell therapy (Photo courtesy of The Texas Heart Institute)

Chronic heart failure is a progressively worsening condition caused by a decrease of the strength and pumping power of the heart. The current treatments are primarily aimed at reversing the negative effects of the complex neurohormonal pathways that are activated as a result of poor heart function. The activated pathways eventually contribute to the worsening of the disease and lead to more frequent hospitalizations. Despite advances in therapies targeting these pathways, mortality rates are still high. Now, the largest cell therapy trial to date in patients with chronic heart failure owing to low ejection fraction has shown that the therapy benefited patients by improving the heart’s pumping ability, as measured by ejection fraction, and reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke, especially in patients with high levels of inflammation. In addition, a strong signal was found in the reduction of cardiovascular death in patients treated with cells.

In the landmark clinical trial, physician-scientists at The Texas Heart Institute (Houston, TX, USA) showed that a special immunomodulatory cell type called MPC (mesenchymal precursor cells) developed by Mesoblast Inc. (Melbourne, Australia) has the potential to tackle one of the largest contributors to heart failure, inflammation. Participants in the trial were already making use of all available state-of-the-art heart failure drugs, which suggests that MPC cell therapy could work synergistically and add to the current medication in an effective way. The exceptional mode of action of MPC offers an alternative approach that has the possibility of significantly reducing the high mortality rate associated with heart failure.

The findings of beneficial long-term outcomes for patients with chronic heart failure due to lower ejection fraction and weakened pumping function are a major breakthrough in cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases. The results can help identify which heart failure patients with inflammation have the highest risk and likelihood to benefit from MPC therapy, and these findings will be further investigated in future studies. The groundbreaking trial has established the groundwork for potentially adding cell therapy to the treatment options available for heart failure.

“The results of DREAM-HF are an important step in understanding how cell therapy provides benefits in patients with chronic heart failure due to poor pump function,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Emerson C. Perin, MD, Ph.D, Medical Director at The Texas Heart Institute. “The cells appear to work by reducing inflammation, increasing microvascular flow, and strengthening heart muscle. Locally, in the heart, the MPCs can protect cardiac muscle cells from dying and can improve blood flow and energetics. In large blood vessels throughout the body, the reduced inflammation resulting from the activation of MPCs may decrease plaque instability, which is what leads to heart attacks and strokes. The cells seem to have a systemic immune-modulatory and anti-inflammatory effect.”

Related Links:
The Texas Heart Institute
Mesoblast Inc. 

Gold Member
12-Channel ECG
CM1200B
Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
Silver Member
Compact 14-Day Uninterrupted Holter ECG
NR-314P
New
X-Ray Detector
FDR-D-EVO III

Print article

Channels

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: The living replacement knee will be tested in clinical trials within five years (Photo courtesy of ARPA-H)

Living Knee Replacement to Revolutionize Osteoarthritis Treatment

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent type of arthritis, characterized by the progressive deterioration of cartilage, or the protective tissue covering the bone ends, resulting in pain, stiffness, and impaired... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The newly-launched solution can transform operating room scheduling and boost utilization rates (Photo courtesy of Fujitsu)

Surgical Capacity Optimization Solution Helps Hospitals Boost OR Utilization

An innovative solution has the capability to transform surgical capacity utilization by targeting the root cause of surgical block time inefficiencies. Fujitsu Limited’s (Tokyo, Japan) Surgical Capacity... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The new eye-safe laser technology can diagnose traumatic brain injury (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Novel Diagnostic Hand-Held Device Detects Known Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injury

The growing need for prompt and efficient diagnosis of traumatic brain injury (TBI), a major cause of mortality globally, has spurred the development of innovative diagnostic technologies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.