(Circulation. 2001;103:e9054.)
© 2001 American Heart Association, Inc.
Cardiovascular News
Using Skeletal Muscle Cells to Repair Ailing Hearts
On May 11, 2001, physicians at the University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center transplanted skeletal muscle cells into damaged areas of a Nevada man’s heart in an attempt to repair the damage from repeated myocardial infarctions. The experimental technique took place during coronary artery bypass surgery, but the cells were placed in an area where bypass could not reperfuse the tissue.
The myocytes, which were taken from the patient’s arm, were grown in a laboratory for 10 to 14 days before the surgery. The lab-grown cells were then given back to the patient. These cells are capable of dividing and differentiating into a form that is more similar to cardiac muscle cells than those of the skeleton.
"This procedure is for patients with extensive ischemia and heart failure," said Greg Fonarow, MD, coinvestigator of the project and an assistant professor at the University of California at Los Angeles. Eventually, 4 to 5 centers will be involved in the first phase of testing. Physicians will assess the success of the technique with serial positron emission tomography scans of the affected area. Serial echocardiograms will be used to determine if the cell transplants have improved heart function.
"We are doing extensive safety monitoring," said Dr
Fonarow. Concerns about the safety of the technique are theoretical,
and there have been no problems in extensive animal trials. The cells
are seeded into the heart by injection; they probably divide through 3
to 4 cycles and then remain in place, leaving the area