As described in the publication, four weeks after cell transplantation, engrafted human unrestricted somatic stem cells (USSCs) were detected in the infarct region of the heart, and the implanted cells were shown to improve regional perfusion (p<0.05) and wall motion (p<0.05) of the infarct region compared to controls. In addition, ejection fraction, a measure of global heart function, increased in the transplant group compared to a decrease in controls (p<0.01).

Nicolas Chronos, M.D., chief medical and scientific officer of American Cardiovascular Research Institute, Atlanta, GA, and interventional cardiologist at the Atlanta cardiology group at St. Joseph's Hospital, stated, "Stem cell therapy offers tremendous promise, and I believe that acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure are among the diseases that will be the first to benefit from this approach. The research being described in the Circulation article is particularly significant, lending further support to the rationale for the use of stem cells from both related and unrelated donors. Allogeneic sources, a type of 'off-the-shelf' therapy, have the potential to greatly expand the number of patients who may one day be candidates for cell-based therapy."

Stephan Wnendt, Ph.D., ViaCell's Senior Vice President, Research and Development, stated, "We believe that unrestricted somatic stem cells from human umbilical cord blood have a great potential for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Although not yet demonstrated in humans, USSCs have been found to engraft to the site of the infarct and significantly improve heart function in in vivo models. Additionally, USSCs are uniquely sourced from controversy-free umbilical cord blood."

The journal article from Kim et al. entitled, "Cell Transplantation Improves Ventricular Function After a Myocardial Infarction: A Pre-Clinical Study of Human Unrestricted Somatic Stem Cells in a Porcine Model" and full publication are available online at http://www.circ.ahajournals.org.

Stem Cell Program in Cardiac Disease

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or heart attack, occurs when the blood supply to part of the heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped. This occurs when one of the heart's arteries is blocked by an obstruction, such as a blood clot that has formed on a plaque formed by arteriosclerosis. If the blood supply is cut off drastically or for a long time, heart muscle cells suffer irreversible injury and die. According to a study by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, there are approximately 1.2 million cases of myocardial infarction each year in the United States, with a fatal outcome in about 42% of cases. Many patients who survive develop a chronic form of heart disease called congestive heart failure (CHF) which is associated with a progressive deterioration of the heart muscle. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, about 5 million patients suffer from CHF in the United States.

Although patient survival rates have been improved by using catheters or drugs to remove thrombotic occlusions (blood vessel blockages), there is no proven therapy for repairing or regenerating damaged heart tissue. Recent clinical data obtained by other companies with stem cells isolated from the patient's own bone marrow, however, indicate that cardiac function may be able to be improved by the application of stem cells. Based on these clinical studies and its own preclinical investigations, ViaCell believes that USSCs could regenerate damaged heart tissue in humans and could be an effective, standardized product for heart repair, although this technology is at an early stage of development and, to date, the safety and efficacy of this therapy has not been demonstrated in humans.

ViaCell Announces Publication of Preclinical Study Demonstrating That Umbilical Cord Stem Cells Improve Heart Function