This is the first preclinical study in which the injected cells were autologous, meaning they came from the animals’ own tissue, were not cultured, so that they did not undergo multiple cell divisions to achieve a target dose of cells, and were harvested and administered on the day of the heart attack.
The results of the study, conducted in collaboration with Tulane University, were presented at the Cardiovascular Research Foundation’s 17th Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics Scientific Symposium in Washington, DC.
In this randomized study, 17 animals received either injections of their own adipose stem and regenerative cells (treated) or a saline injection (control) via catheter into the artery at the site of the heart attack.
After eight weeks, there was a statistically significant reduction in the perfusion defect, which is the area of the heart deprived of oxygen as a result of the infarct. A corresponding benefit was observed by the improvement in ejection fraction, a common measure of the heart’s pumping efficiency.
“Our study was unique in that the animals received an injection of autologous cells that were not cultured and administered immediately following a heart attack,” said Dr Marc Hedrick, president for Cytori Therapeutics.
“Additionally, it shows that a sufficient number of cells could be accessed from adipose tissue in real-time to achieve a therapeutic effect, which closely approximates a clinical setting where timely delivery may be critical. These data confirm our previous results and will serve as an important component of our forthcoming application to initiate European clinical studies next year.”