Stem Cells alive and well, page-21

Someone suggested I  might  have been  wrong  with a post  ..They said that stem cells will  not  be  administered to  a  patient  after  a  heart attack this  article  begs  to  differ ...Also the  CMO for  BioCardia, (which i will  put  up  as  no.2  ) Eric Duckers  is  MSB,s Principle investigation person  for  AMICI trials ..
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mce-anchorA stem cell jab to repair broken heart!​ LONDON, Sept 8: Coming soon: A single stem cell jab which could mend a broken heart, say scientists. The scientists say the injection - using stem cells taken from the bone marrow of healthy young adults - could halve the damage suffered in heart attack victims, and may be available to patients within five years. The product, called Revascor, is about to go into advanced clinical trials. It can be used on any patient and it has the potential to help up to 40 per cent of heart attack victims, the ‘Daily Express’ reported. In early tests by its developers at Australian company Mesoblast, it cut damage done in severe heart attacks by 50 per cent. Patients given the treatment had 80 per cent fewer subsequent attacks. The scientists say one stem cell donation could provide millions of cells known as MPCs. These will rejuvenate heart muscle, rushing to the site of the attack and reinforcing the heart. The system means the younger generation is effectively helping save older generation from being blighted by illness. The process starts by "harvesting" 60 ml of bone marrow fluid from adults who have been screened. Donations take about 30 minutes; the MPC cells are mixed with an anti-body, multiplied in a lab and then frozen in batches. Injections will be given to patients who get to hospital within 12 hours of suffering an attack as they receive a stent to open their blocked arteries. Each patient will get either 12.5 million or 25 million cells. Because the cells will not be rejected by the body’s auto-immune system they can be used on any patient, say the scientists. Dr Donna Skerrett, Mesoblast’s chief medical officer, said: "They are there and ready to use off the shelf. The cells are ready to use in 30 minutes and are injected via a catheter. The cells rejuvenate the heart muscle, reduce scarring and increase blood flow." Research cardiologist Professor Eric Duckers added: "The pre-clinical trials were very compelling. This has the potential to greatly improve the quality of life for patients suffering acute attacks." (PTI)

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BioCardia, Inc. Signs Merger Agreement with Tiger X Medical, Inc., Secures Funding to Support Further Development of CardiAMP® Cell Therapy System for the Treatment of Heart Failure



BioCardia dropped a planned IPO in April. Now, it’s back with a reverse merger into medical device shell company Tiger X Medical. The company will have a combined $23 million in cash to advance a BioCardia cell therapy system in its ongoing Phase III trial to treat heart failure.
Biopharma and diagnostics company Opko Health ($OPK) is slated to become a “significant shareholder” in Tiger X Medical and will serve as an adviser to the business. The resulting company will focus on the BioCardia business and be known by that name; it is slated to trade on the OTC markets.
“Our CardiAMP cell therapy is seeking to address an enormous unmet need – a treatment for heart failure that develops after a patient has had a heart attack,” said BioCardio CEO Dr. Peter Altman in a statement. “The merger will provide resources necessary to continue our Phase III development of CardiAMP.”
The candidate is autologous--meaning derived from the patient--minimally processed, bone marrow cells. It’s placed via the company’s Helix transendocardial delivery system and the Morph steerable guide and sheath catheter portfolio. These are used in combination to affix the cell therapeutic to the beating heart wall as guided by fluoroscopic imaging. CardiAMP also includes a companion diagnostic to sort out which patients are most likely to benefit from therapy.
The ongoing Phase III clinical trial is a randomized, controlled, 250-patient study at 40 U.S. sites. CardiAMP is also in clinical testing for sub-acute myocardial infarction. BioCardia also has CardiALLO, which uses younger, universal donor mesenchymal stem cells; it’s intended as an option for patients who are not optimal for CardiAMP and is also in clinical testing for heart failure.
CardiALLO may be appropriate for patients who are not optimal candidates for the CardiAMP therapy. Since these are donor cells, this candidate is allogenic.
Tiger X Medical was previously known as Cardo Medical; it was an orthopedic medical device company that discontinued that business in 2010 and sold off its assets in 2011. Its operations have been sustained by royalty income from an asset purchase by Arthrex......................V