US-based Bioheart has announced a medical breakthrough in cardiovascular therapy by using stem cells of fat tissues of patient’s own body.

Regeneration of a damaged heart is possible through stem cells derived from a patient’s own fat tissues, according to Dr Karl Groth, chairman and CEO, Bioheart.

He said that the procedure has three critical advantages. Firstly, the technique limits damage to heart muscle after an acute injury, such as a heart attack. Secondly, the cells serve as a catalyst for new vessel formation. Thirdly, the system used for obtaining stem cells is an easier and faster procedure with minimal intervention.

Bioheart has developed a fully-automated, point-of-care system that recovers potentially regenerative stem cells from a patient's own adipose tissue in 60 minutes.

“The CE Mark-approved, TGI 1200 System is able to obtain adipose derived stem cells (ASCs) from fat tissue located in the patient’s own abdomen, eliminating the need for the painful and expensive bone marrow extractions that have been used in competitors’ stem-cell treatment for cardiovascular therapy,” said Dr Goth.

“This milestone means that the intervention by the medical team is greatly reduced, and this in turn means a faster, safer procedure which can be over within an hour,” Dr Goth confirmed.

Bioheart, in collaboration with Hospital de Clinicas Caracas in Caracas, Venezuela, has commenced four different studies utilising the ASCs. These are during a coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedure, percutaneous delivery of cells in chronic heart ischemia, delivery of cells after an acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), and delivery of cells in critical limb ischemia.

“The Hospital de Clinicas is extremely excited to be a part of this cutting-edge technology and welcomes the studies,'' said Dr Nusen Beer, MD, a cardiologist who has been successfully using this method in the treatment of cardiac patients. 
Dr. Groth went on to say that this breakthrough will bring new possibilities of damage repair and cell regeneration in diseases related to cardiac dysfunction.

“One immediate positive impact is the possibility of increasing blood supply to the damaged area and preventing scarring,” he concluded.

Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialisation of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage. A Middle Eastern medical fund from Ascent Technologies has an investment in the company. – TradeArabia News Service