New Cells for Heart Muscle-How Could It Be?
Early in our anatomy studies we learned that there are three types of muscle. Most people think of the muscle in the arms (biceps), on the thigh (quadriceps) and on the calf (gastrocnemius). These are called skeletal muscles.
Did you ever hear your stomach "growl"? What caused the noise is the second type of muscle characteristic of the gastro intestinal tract called smooth muscle.
The third type of muscle works continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is a muscle you can feel and touch its impulse. It is the muscle we at the Arizona Heart Institute specialize in caring for, cardiac muscle.
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, heart muscle can become weakened, perhaps by a heart attack. While we have many treatments, most provide only temporary relief without permanent correction of the underlying cardiac muscle dysfunction.
Basic research has shown that skeletal muscle can be removed from the leg and placed in culture medium where the cells grow in the millions over a period of six to eight weeks. These new cells can be injected directly into the heart muscle, where they take on the characteristics of new cardiac muscle cells. The overall goal is to improve the heart's ability to contract and pump blood to the body.
What is Myoblast?
Myoblast refers to the super "powerhouse" cells that originate from the human body's muscle stem cells. These cells have the ability to take on the properties of other cells such as the cardiac muscle cells that make up the heart.
Unlike cardiac muscle cells, myoblast can regenerate and repair themselves. So if a leg muscle is injured, it can repair itself because of the myoblast cells there. If the heart is injured, as in a heart attack, it cannot repair itself.
What is the purpose of myoblast cell research?
Researchers are trying to determine if transplanting skeletal cells from leg muscles directly into the heart muscle can help stimulate myogenesis, or the formation of new muscle tissue in the heart. The procedure is considered very low risk because the cells are transplanted from the patient's own body so they won't be rejected.
The Arizona Heart Institute is one of a few medical centers participating in early clinical safety trials of skeletal muscle cell transplants in combination with percutanous delivery. The trial is being completed in collaboration with Mytogen, a company that develops transplantable cells to treat disease characterized by cell dysfunction or death.
How are myoblast cells transplanted into the heart?
The procedure begins with a biopsy of muscle cells from the patient's thigh. A marble-size section of the muscle is removed while the patient is under local anesthesia. The section of the muscle is then isolated and expanded in culture in a special cell laboratory for approximately six to eight weeks. The multiplied cells are injected into the heart via catheter directly into the heart muscle that has suffered past damage from heart attacks and coronary artery disease.
Phase 1 of the myoblast study is closed to enrollment and the next phase of myoblast research should be operational in the near future. Please check our website for future updates in regards to the myoblast study.
The Arizona Heart Institute is a specialty outpatient clinic dedicated to the prevention, detection, and treatment of cardiovascular disorders. To schedule an appointment contact 602-240-6150.
Press ReleaseCardiovascular Disease - Facts
September 2004: Food and Drug Administration Approves Research to Regrow Damaged Heart Muscle Cells; The First-of-its-kind Minimally Invasive Procedure Could One Day Eliminate Need For Heart Transplants
Links
Azcentral- High-tech heart repair MSNBC - Seeding a heart with healing cells Cardiology Online - Muscle cell transplants repair damaged heart tissue ACC.org - Scientific Session News Business Journal:Cutting-edge technology gives heart doctors edge
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The information presented in this site should not replace the medical advice of your physician. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any disease without first consulting with your physician or other healthcare provider.