Groundbreaking Study Reveals Stem Cell Therapy Reduces Heart Attack and Stroke Risk by Up to 79% in Heart Failure Patients
A landmark study presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2021 has shown that stem cell therapy can significantly reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in adults with chronic heart failure. The research, which focused on patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), demonstrated a remarkable 65% reduction in non-fatal heart attack or stroke events among those treated with stem cells.
The study, known as the DREAM-HF trial, is the largest stem cell therapy study to date among people with heart failure. It involved 537 participants with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, who were randomly divided into two groups. One group received an injection of 150 million mesenchymal precursor cells, commonly known as stem cells, directly into the heart using a catheter. The remaining participants received a sham procedure.
The results of the study were striking. Participants who received stem cell therapy experienced a 65% reduction in non-fatal heart attacks and strokes throughout the study period. Moreover, those with high levels of inflammation (CRP levels of at least 2 mg/L) were 79% less likely to have non-fatal heart attack or stroke after being treated with stem cells. Stem cell treatment also reduced cardiac death by 80% in people with high levels of inflammation and less severe, class II heart failure.
According to Emerson C. Perin, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s lead author, “Cell therapy has the potential to change how we treat heart failure. This study addresses the inflammatory aspects of heart failure, which go mostly untreated, despite significant pharmaceutical and device therapy development. Our findings indicate stem cell therapy may be considered for use in addition to standard guideline therapies.”
While the study did not show a reduction in hospitalizations due to heart failure events, the results suggest that stem cell therapy can have a significant impact on reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke in heart failure patients. The study’s findings also highlight the importance of targeting inflammation in the treatment of heart failure.
As Perin and colleagues note, further research is needed to better understand how these stem cells may affect the course of progression of heart failure and how these therapies may be directed to the patient groups that could see the most benefits.
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References:
- Perin EC, et al. (2021). Randomized Trial of Targeted Transendocardial Delivery of Mesenchymal Precursor Cells in High-Risk Chronic Heart Failure Patients with Reduced Ejection Fraction (DREAM-HF). Presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2021.
- American Heart Association. (2021). Heart Failure.
About the Study:
The DREAM-HF trial was a multi-center, randomized, sham-controlled, double-blind trial that enrolled 537 participants with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. The study was designed to examine the effects of stem cell therapy on heart failure events, including hospitalizations, heart attacks, strokes, and death. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Texas Heart Institute.
Co-authors are Barry H. Greenberg, M.D.; Kenneth M. Borow, M.D.; Timothy D. Henry II, M.D.; Farrell O. Mendelsohn, M.D.; Les R. Miller, M.D.; Elizabeth Swiggum, M.D.; Eric D. Adler, M.D.; Christopher A. James, P.A.; and Silviu Itescu, M.D. Authors’ disclosures are listed in the abstract.
The study was funded by Mesoblast, Inc.
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