From: KutchScience
To: drskb@... ; drsahai@... ; drprpatel@... ;
drpddoshi19@... ; drmaltigupta@... ; drdvyas@... ;
'Dr.H.L.Udeshi' ; kirti_jv ; 'Dr.M.Azim Sheth' ; 'Dr.Shashiben Vani - Ahmedabad'

Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006 8:35 AM
Subject: Stem cell jabs for heart patients -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6121868.stm

Dear Docs, Medicos and friends of Science and Genetics,

A pioneering cardiac trial is to see patients who suffer heart attacks given
injections of their own stem cells within the following five hours.
Preliminary evidence has suggested that bone marrow stem cells can be used to
repair the damage to the heat muscle inflicted during a heart attack. And that
could help prevent subsequent heart failure, which is more of a threat than the
initial attack itself. The trial, run by St Barts Hospital in London, will
involve up to 100 people. The project is the first to be funded by the UK Stem
Cell Foundation. Heart attacks kill 108,000 people in the UK each year, and
there are currently estimated to be 660,000 heart attack survivors. It is
estimated that heart attacks cost the UK economy around £7bn a year. Over the
last decade, the use of primary angioplasty, a technique to clear the blocked
arteries of patients who have had a heart attack, has helped to reduce the risk
of death in the immediate aftermath of an attack. However, the risk of death
from long-term complications, such as the onset of heart failure, remains high.



If we can demonstrate improvement in the quality of life of patients then this
will be a significant step forward in the treatment of heart disease - Dr
Anthony Mathur

Combining techniques

The new trial, which plans to recruit 100 patients, will combine primary
angioplasty with a stem cell injection to try to combat both problems. Stem
cells are immature cells that have the potential to become any kind of tissue in
the body. Professor John Martin, who has helped design the new trial, said:
"Taking heart attack patients to centres where their blocked coronary artery can
be opened immediately has led to significant increases in survival and decreases
in the damage to heart muscle. "Previous studies in the heart have shown that
stem cell delivery to the heart is safe. "We will show whether it works in acute
heart attack. Our study combines the two new ways of treating heart attack
victims for the first time." Heart attack patients brought to the London Chest
Hospital and the Heart Hospital, also in London, for direct coronary
intervention will be recruited for the study.

Patients shouldn't get the impression there is a panacea around the corner -
Professor Peter Weissberg

Few complications

Following primary angioplasty, a stem cell sample will be taken from the
patient's own bone marrow. Once the cells have been prepared, patients will
receive the sample into the previously blocked artery. Dr Anthony Mathur, who
will also play a key role, said: "If we can demonstrate improvement in the
quality of life of patients then this will be a significant step forward in the
treatment of heart disease. "Because the stem cells are taken from the patient
themselves there are minimal ethical issues surrounding this procedure. There is
also less likelihood of rejection complications." Professor Peter Weissberg,
medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said stem cell therapy had the
potential to offer new hope to patients with cardiovascular disease. But he
added: "This trial is unlikely, on its own, to determine the future treatment of
heart attacks - and patients shouldn't get the impression there is a panacea
around the corner. "The trial is likely to give us more information - but there
is a long way to go."




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