Brits Launch Largest Ever Stem Cell Study for Heart Disease

LONDON, October 12, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – British scientists will launch a study of the effectiveness of adult stem cells to treat heart disease. Various techniques of obtaining the cells will be tried including extraction from bone marrow and the use of growth factor drugs to stimulate their production in the blood.
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  The research was instigated by Ian Rosenberg, a man who traveled to Germany to undergo stem cell treatment for his heart condition. Rosenberg’s treatment was so successful that he set up a charitable foundation, the Heart Cells Foundation, to study the use of adult stem cells for heart disease.
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  The BBC reports that two years ago, Mr. Rosenberg was suffering severe heart disease and had been given only a few months to live. The German treatment involved injecting his own stem cells directly into his heart. “Within a matter of months, I was able to do things I could only dream of doing before, such as walking up and down stairs or playing golf,” he said.
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  The study to be undertaken by Barts and the National Health Service (NHS) Trust will involve 700 patients over four years and is the largest study of its kind to be taken to date.
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  Many individual trials have shown that adult stem cells, those obtained from a patient’s own body as opposed to those taken from live embryos, can be used successfully in treating a wide range of heart conditions, as well as other diseases, but this is the first large-scale examination of how the process works.
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  A media release from Barts and NHS Trust says, “The first study will involve 300 patients whose hearts are failing because of heart disease or a previous heart attack. The second study will involve 200 patients whose hearts are failing specifically because of dilated cardiomyopathy – a heart muscle disorder. The third study will involve 200 patients who have just had a heart attack.”
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  Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
  Adult Stem Cells Successfully Used to Repair Man’s Heart
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2001/aug/01082702.html
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  Adult Stem Cells Rejuvenate Damaged Heart Tissue
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2003/jan/03010301.html
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