Cardiology and Stem Cell Research

Cardiology and Stem Cell Research

The American College of Cardiology is holding its annual conference this week, and has issued a press release about several panels on stem cell research. I’ll just sum them up briefly here.

1) Researchers in Japan have been looking for alternative sources of stem cells which may be of help in promoting the growth of heart muscle tissue. They have found stem cells in menstrual blood and in umbilical cord blood which have the cardiac gene expression and protein expression necessary for repairing muscles (as opposed to blood vessels). The menstrual blood has the additional advantages of being easily obtainable and rich in stem cells.

2) Researchers at Tulane University gave 17 pigs heart attacks and then treated them with stem cells derived from their own adipose tissue (fat). Then they killed them to find out the results. The animals that had been treated had higher capillary density and thicker heart walls in the damaged area.

3) In humans, a study of 17 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy who were treated with stem cells obtained from their own bone marrow had improved heart function for pumping blood and better movement of the heart wall.

These are all interesting, but I would hardly say conclusive at this point given the small sample size in the human study, the lack of humans in the pig study, and the lack of treatment with the derived cells in the blood study.