Journalists: For links to web-video and audio files, see the bottom of this post.
ORLANDO, Fla. — A research network led by a Mayo Clinic physician found that stem cells obtained from bone marrow delivered two to three weeks after a person has a heart attack did not improve heart function. This is the first study to systematically examine the timing and method of stem cell delivery and provides vital information for the field of cell therapy.
The results were presented this morning at the 2011 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association Meeting in Orlando, Fla. They also will be published online in The Journal of the American Medical Association to coincide with the presentation.
“Some data suggests that stem cell therapy is helpful within the first week after a heart attack,” says Robert Simari, M.D., cardiologist at Mayo Clinic and chair of the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN). The network includes five clinics and other sites supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. “Our study helps identify the limits of when stem cell therapy might be beneficial. We now know that this therapy should not be extended two to three weeks after a heart attack. While it is safe to do so, we did not find any benefit to heart function after six months.”
Journalists: The following web-video and audio clips with Dr. Simari are available for download and use in your stories.
Below is a link to an edited youtube video with Dr. Simari that you can embed with your stories.
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