Program Emphasizes Clinical Applications
NHLBI Funds New Centers for Cell-Based Therapy
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
of the National Institutes of Health has awarded the first
three grants in a new research program on cell-based therapy
of heart, lung, and blood diseases. The program,
Specialized Centers for Cell-Based Therapy for Heart,
Lung, and Blood Diseases, involves both basic and
clinical research but is heavily focused on clinical
applications of cell-based therapy.
“Recent advances in stem cell biology and transplantation
have set the stage for the next level of research
emphasis: a program that emphasizes the translation
of knowledge about cell-based therapy into clinical
practice,” said NHLBI Director Elizabeth G.
Nabel, M.D.
According to Dr. Nabel, the $6.5 million program is
anticipated to stimulate clinical research efforts
on important public health problems for those with
heart, lung, and blood diseases. The program will
attempt to solve some of the problems and challenges
of cell-based therapy including repair of damaged
heart muscle, reducing immune complications due to
graft versus host disease, and enhancing the interaction
of adult stem cells and their tissue environment.
Many of the 5-year studies will begin with preclinical
animal or laboratory research to support an Investigational
New Drug Application submission to the FDA followed
by Phase I and II clinical studies for safety and
effectiveness, respectively.
The centers awarded the grants and the principal investigators
are:
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
(Malcolm Brenner, M.D., Ph.D.) This group
will focus on two clinical studies. In one study,
the scientists will genetically modify donor immune
cells used in stem cell therapy for treatment
of patients with cancer and other diseases. The
donor cells will be enhanced to speed recovery
and reduce the effects of graft versus host disease,
a potential complication of stem cell transplantation.
The other clinical study involves modification
of immune cells used in stem cell transplants
to protect the recipients from the viral infections
that are so common in immune compromised patients.
A basic research study will investigate potential
therapies using stem cells in the heart.
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
(Joshua Hare, M.D.) This research team
will study the development of stem cell-based
therapies to regenerate the heart and to reverse
heart failure in patients with ischemic heart
disease. The team will initially study the use
of bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells
as a treatment for ischemia (reduced blood flow
to the heart). Mesenchymal stem cells have the
potential to develop into mature cells that produce
fat, cartilage, bone, tendons, and muscle and
have been shown to reduce heart damage in animals
following a heart attack. In future years, the
team will also study the use of human cardiac
stem cells grown from small pieces of human heart
tissue with the goal of delivering them back to
patients following a heart attack.
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston,
MA (David Scadden, M.D.) This project
team will focus on the specialized microenvironments
where stem cells reside, targeting them to achieve
stem cell therapies and tissue regeneration. Emphasis
will be placed on the blood stem cell with laboratory
and clinical studies using proteins to alter the
stem cell microenvironment in the bone marrow.
Treatment trials of stem cell therapies for individuals
with hematologic cancers such as lymphoma, Hodgkin's
disease and multiple myeloma will be the initial
clinical studies performed.
- The EMMES Corporation, Rockville, MD
(Shelly Carter, Sc.D) EMMES will serve
as the coordinating center for the program and
will work with the Specialized Centers on establishing
useful standard protocols for the emerging new
field of cell-based therapies.
To interview an NHLBI spokesperson about this program,
contact the NHLBI Communications Office at 301-496-4236.
To interview Dr. Brenner, contact Ross Tomlin in the
Office of Public Affairs at Baylor College of Medicine
at (713) 798-7973; to interview Dr. Hare, contact
David March at Johns Hopkins at 410-955-1534; to interview
Dr. Scadden, contact Sue McGreevey at Massachusetts
General Hospital Public Affairs at 617-724-2764; to
contact Dr. Carter, call Sandi Sykes at 301-251-1161.
NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH), the Federal Government’s primary agency
for biomedical and behavioral research. NIH is a component
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
NHLBI press releases and publications, including background
on cell-based therapies, can be found online at www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
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