Fiona See, Ph.D., postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Silviu Itescu, M.B., B.S., will present two groundbreaking abstracts on repairing damage from heart failure with stem cells at AHA this year.
In the first study, the researchers isolated adult human stem cells from bone marrow using a novel stem cell marker. They administered these cells in a rat model of heart failure by direct injection into the heart muscle and observed improvements in cardiac function and preservation of cardiac structure.
They then examined the mechanisms by which these stem cells produce their beneficial effects. In examination of the rat hearts, the researchers found low rates of stem cell survival, leading them to hypothesize and then demonstrate in the second study that when these cells are injected into the heart, they release chemicals which promote the survival of cardiac muscle and the growth of new blood vessels and thereby support cardiac function. They will also present data which profiles the chemicals that these cells secrete.
Columbia University Medical Center scientists will present the latest research findings in a wide range of cardiovascular areas at the 2006 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago, Nov.12-15.