NIH Grant Awarded for Study of Adult Stem Cells and Heart-Assist Devices as Combined Therapy for Heart Failure
Physician scientists at the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (THI at St. Luke’s) have been awarded a grant of almost $1.5 M by the NIH for research into treatments for patients with end-stage heart failure that would combine heart-assist devices and adult stem-cell treatments.
Heart failure is a significant problem in the US, where cardiovascular disease remains the No# 1 killer. Once heart failure reaches end-stage, treatment options decrease. Up to 150,000 heart failure patients could benefit from a transplant, yet only slightly more than 2,000 donor hearts per year are available in the US.
In some patients, LVAD therapy has enabled damaged hearts to recover blood flow and heart function, obviating the need for a transplant.
- Physician scientists hope the new research will lead to improvements in both areas of treatment,
- Also among the goals of the research will be to clarify which therapy or combinations of therapy will best enhance new blood flow and improved function in damaged areas of the heart,
- Scientists expect to design the protocols for eventual human trials.
- Heart-assist devices (LVADs) have been approved as bridges to transplant for patients awaiting heart transplants, and as “destination therapy” for permanent use in patients not eligible for transplants.
“We are optimistic that resting the heart with the LVAD [heart-assist device] after cell therapy will lead to improved cardiac function and patient survival,” said Dr. Igor Gregoric, Director of the THI at St. Luke’s Center for Cardiac Support and one of the principal investigators in the research. THI at St. Luke’s is recognized as a leader in using adult stem-cells as an applied therapy for heart failure.
