An international team of physicians and scientists in Florida have discovered a way to treat cardiomyopathy (heart disease) with adult stem cells, including a rare metabolic condition otherwise requiring heart transplant.
Regenocyte Therapeutic is using stem cells extracted from patients’ blood to repair damaged heart muscle, regenerate tissue, and create new vessels to improve circulation. According to the organization’s director of Cardiology and Vascular Disease, Zannos G. Grekos, M.D., by applying specific growth factors to the patient’s stem cells the team creates a new cell population which is educated to target the area of damage or deficiency when placed into the patient’s heart and blood vessels. “We’ve now treated close to 100 patients with their own stem cells and seen an average 22 point increase in ejection fraction (EF) with a significant improvement in heart failure classification – typically from a Class IV to a Class II status in less than 180 days,” Grekos says.
The cardiomyopathy treatment study, the first 6 months of which was published December 2008 in Anti-Aging Medical News, follows patients through one year post-treatment with autologous adult stem cells, also called Angiogenic Cardio-Regenerative Progenitor cells (ACP’s). Regenocyte’s chief medical advisor Athina Kyritsis, M.D. announced that, “Across the board, no adverse effects from treatment were reported by patients and function plus quality of life measurably improved.” Grekos and his team measured patients’ heart function by cardiac nuclear scans, PET scans, and echocardiographs.
Read more on The Earth Times
