Chinese stem cell therapy improves heart failure in 90% of trial patients

A hospital in east China reports that a novel stem cell therapy significantly improved heart function in 90% of severe heart failure patients in a phase 2 clinical trial. The long-term follow-up results, released on Wednesday by Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital and published in Nature Medicine, show that nine out of ten patients injected with heart muscle cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) had markedly better cardiac function at the 12-month mark compared to the control group Source: scmp.

The treatment

Unlike dead heart muscle, which cannot regrow, this technology aims to help ageing or damaged hearts generate new muscle tissue and restore function. Patients with severe heart failure often experience shortness of breath after minimal exertion, difficulty sleeping flat, and frequent hospitalisations Source: South China Morning Post.

Key findings

• 90% of treated patients showed significant recovery in heart function after 12 months Source: scmp.
• The therapy uses iPSC-derived heart muscle cells injected into patients Source: scmp.
• Results were published in Nature Medicine Source: South China Morning Post.

What's next

While these results are promising, the study is only a phase 2 trial, and larger phase 3 studies will be needed to confirm efficacy and safety before any widespread clinical use. The hospital has not yet announced a timeline for further trials Source: scmp.