Trial to use stem cells to repair heart

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) -- Medical officials are talking about a breakthrough clinical trial that could help the heart repair itself.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mayo Clinic and Cardio3 BioSciences officials outlined an FDA-approved clinical trial to be carried out in the United States. A similar trial has already been underway in Europe.

Cardio3 CEO Christian Homsy said stem cells are a major part of this heart-healing process. "What we do is take cells from a patient and we reprogram those cells to become cardiac reparative cells. Those cells have the ability to come and repair the heart." Those stem cells would come from the bone marrow of patients who suffer from heart failure.

This treatment is the result of a Mayo Clinic discovery. In Mayo's breakthrough process, stem cells that are harvested from a cardiac patient's bone marrow undergo a guided treatment designed to improve heart health in people suffering from heart failure.

Cardio3 officials said a manufacturing facility will be the first thing that is needed for this clinical trial, and the rest of the details like staffing will follow.

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Trial to use stem cells to repair heart