End stage heart failure is a "malignant" disease with a worse prognosis than most types of cancer
Terminal heart failure is a "malignant" disease with a worse prognosis than most types of cancer. Because of the limited ability of mature heart muscle cells to regenerate after injury to the heart muscle, their loss from heart tissue constitutes irreversible damage. A non-shrinkable scar is formed in the infarcted area. Over time, a remodeling process of the left ventricle occurs, the result of which is the expansion of the ventricle and a decrease in heart function. Today, heart transplantation is the most effective clinical solution for the treatment of patients with terminal heart failure. However, the growing shortage of donors makes this method very limited.
Our goal is to develop a method for utilizing stem cells from umbilical cord blood that will contribute to healing, replace the damaged heart muscle tissue, and improve heart function. The development is based on transplanting stem cells from umbilical cord blood. These cells have several significant advantages compared to stem cells from other sources and are always available. 3 research groups from different fields are participating in the study: cardiology and tissue engineering (Yonathan Lior), hematology, bone marrow transplantation, and stem cells from umbilical cord blood (Arnon Nagler), human cytogenetics and umbilical cord blood cells (Esther Goite).
So far we have developed methods for obtaining human stem cells from umbilical cord blood (AN) and a model for transplanting the cells in rats with myocardial infarction (Y.L. A.G.). In a series of these experiments we showed migration and uptake of stem cells in myocardial infarction tissue. The initial findings from the transplant trials show that there is an advantage in injecting the cells into a vein, similar to bone marrow transplants. The injected cells have the ability to "populate" and migrate to the scar area where they participate in relaxation and the creation of new blood vessels. At the same time, we are conducting experiments in order to find out whether the transplanted cells improve the function and vitality of the heart after a heart attack and whether they can also differentiate into muscle cells.
Significance: We are sure that the success of this approach has social and economic significance. First, it will (at least partially) solve the problem of the lack of heart donors and save the lives of many patients. Also, because of the innovation of the research (tissue engineering and human stem cells) the fruits of the research have the potential to lead to an advanced biotechnological industry that will place Israel at the forefront of research and industry.
Professor Yonatan Lior, Neufeld Heart Research Institute, Tel Aviv University, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
