IPSC against heart attack
Treatment of infarction with induced stem cells allowed to be tested on humans
Daria Spasskaya, N+1
Japanese scientists have received permission to use induced stem cells in the clinic to treat the consequences of a heart attack. "Patches" of stem cells derived from patients' own cells should promote the regeneration of damaged heart muscle. According to Nature (‘Reprogrammed’ stem cells approved to mend human hearts for the first time), the first trials on three patients will be conducted under the guidance of doctors from Osaka University over the next year.
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) can be obtained from differentiated cells, such as connective tissue cells, by overexpression of several proteins known as Yamanaki factors. This procedure leads to the reverse transition of "adult" cells into a pluripotent state, from which they can again differentiate into different types of cells, for example, cardiomyocytes — heart muscle cells. In 2012 , for this discovery was awarded Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Regenerative medicine is interested in the use of induced stem cells, and today there are a large number of developments for the therapy of myocardium with cardiomyocytes derived from such cells. So far, however, iPSCs have been used in clinical practice only once, to grow retinal pigment epithelium in several patients with macular dystrophy. Now it has become known that the Japanese Ministry of Health has issued the first official permission to test the technology on humans.
The approved technology, presented by a group led by cardiac surgeon Yoshiki Sawa from Osaka University, consists in growing small "patches" of cardiomyocytes derived from induced stem cells. During heart surgery, these layers are superimposed on damaged areas of the muscle, for example, as a result of a heart attack. According to scientists, the "patch" cells do not integrate into the tissue, but they secrete growth factors that promote myocardial regeneration.
The technology has been successfully tested on pigs, and now, after government approval, Sava's group is going to test the approach on the first three patients, and then on ten more. If the first phases of clinical trials are successful, the technology will be allowed for commercial use under an accelerated program.
Despite the positive reviews, the announced plans were criticized by doctors. According to some representatives of medicine, the accelerated introduction of stem cell treatment technology in commercial clinics will lead to an increase in unnecessary and potentially dangerous heart operations. At the same time, full-scale clinical trials are required to assess the actual effectiveness of the intervention, and not just an assessment of the safety of the technology.
We told you that to treat the consequences of a heart attack, Stanford scientists have developed a collagen "patch" containing the protein FSTL1, which stimulates the regeneration of cardiomyocytes. This technology has also been successfully tested on pigs.
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