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Stem cell 'cure' to be given for heart attacks

The Evening Standard, 8 November, 2006

STEM cell treatment which could save the lives of hundreds of heart attack victims is to start at two London hospitals.

Fifty patients will be given an injection of their own cells within hours of a heart attack in a bid to repair the organ damage they have suffered.

Teams from University College London Hospital and Barts and the London, hope the groundbreaking work could have a significant impact on deaths and suffering of people with heart failure.

If the trials are successful, they hope the treatment - which involves taking cells from patients' own bone marrow - will be extended to NHS hospitals across the country.

Dr Anthony Mathur, consultant cardiologist at the London Chest Hospital, part of Barts and the London NHS Trust, said: "If we can demonstrate improvement in the quality of life of patients, then this will be a significant step forward in the treatment of heart disease.

"Because the stem cells are taken from the patient, there are minimal ethical issues [with] this procedure.

There is also less likelihood of rejection."

Stem cells are immature cells with the potential to develop into different kinds of tissue. It is hoped the revolutionary treatment will stop the volunteers suffering further heart attacks and developing heart failure. The research project, due to start after Christmas, is being funded by the UK Stem Cell Foundation.

Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: "We welcome research that helps us understand the role stem cells may yet play in treating heart disease."

As well as saving lives, the low-cost treatment would also reduce the annual Pounds 7 billion burden of heart attacks through hospital admissions, prescriptions and lost work days.

Heart disease is the biggest killer in the UK with someone having a heart attack every two minutes. Around 660,000 people have heart attacks each year and 108,000 die.