StemCell hormone stimulation and heart disease

[Bhaskar]

Severe Heart Disease Patients Offered New Hope
Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology News
Article Date: 04 Jun 2007 - 19:00 PDT

Funded by the MBF Foundation, the second phase of the project will test whether using the G-SCF hormone to stimulate the release of blood vessel-forming stem cells can alleviate the condition, improve heart function and increase quality of life for people with severe heart disease.

Executive Director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Professor Bob Graham, said evidence from the first phase of the study into the safety of the G-SCF treatment gave hope to the patients taking part. Many of these patients currently rely on numerous medications to relieve the pain caused by the lack of blood supply to the heart.

"The 20 patients trialling the innovative treatment responded extremely positively, with most experiencing a reduction in angina and finding that they were able to reduce their intake of pain relief with marked improvements in some patients," Professor Graham said.

"This is an incredible result, especially when you consider that many of these patients had already undergone multiple surgeries to try and correct the defects causing their heart to malfunction and were on the maximum doses of conventional medicines, yet still experienced chest pain from even the slightest exertion.

"However," he cautioned, "this was a safety trial and therefore was not placebo controlled, so we can't be absolutely sure yet if the improvements are entirely due to the G-CSF, hence the need for the next study.
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