Mesenchymal STRO-1/STRO-3+ precursor cells for the treatment of chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Heart disease can occur due to the blockage of blood flow to the heart muscle (heart attack). This damage reduces heart function, in part because of inflammation and fibrosis (scarring). Over time, these problems lead to heart failure and death. Advances in treating heart disease focus on maintaining heart function rather than healing the heart. A cell-based treatment designed to actually repair the heart has been used with some success. In this approach, stem cells are extracted from the bone marrow of a healthy adult, processed and then injected into a patient's diseased heart. This approach is promising, but heart repair remains incomplete. This article looks at a specific type of bone marrow stem cell that has been used as a treatment for patients with heart disease. This cell treatment was recently tested in the largest such study and the first phase III clinical trial to date in the area ­ the DREAM-HF study. This article addresses the safety and best dosage of these cells and examines how this new approach of cell-based therapy might change how heart disease is treated.