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Case Studies:

Gerry Sherrick, aged 71, a retired taxi driver from Essex, has volunteered to take part in the clinical trial. He said: "I have had heart problems for the past 25 years. I have had two heart attacks and two triple bypass operations but my heart has become steadily weaker over the years. I now struggle to do many of the things I could do before. Mundane tasks like getting washed, eating and even lifting up a newspaper can leave me feeling completely exhausted. I have my good days but on others it can be a struggle just to get out of bed. I am delighted to be taking part in this clinical trial. I know that there are no guarantees but I hope that my involvement if it doesn’t benefit me will benefit others."

David Temperley, aged 61, a retired factory worker from Teesside, has volunteered to take part in the clinical trial. He said: "My heart has seen better days. I have had three heart attacks. My first heart attack was in 1990 and my most recent one was four years ago. I have been fitted with a defibrillator and a stent to try to ward off a fourth heart attack. My heart seems to have gone down hill in the last two years but there is nothing doctors can do to help me. My heart is too damaged to have bypass surgery and I’m too old to have a transplant. I heard about plans to carry out this clinical trial last year. I spoke to my GP about it. He referred me to a specialist in Middlesbrough who in turn referred me to the team at Barts and The London NHS Trust. I am delighted to be taking part."

Heart Stem Cell Trial

The REGENERATE (Heart Stem Cell) Trial at Barts and The London NHS Trust will run for four years and is made up of three randomised-controlled studies:

* The REGENERATE-IHD Study will involve 300 patients with heart failure caused by ischaemic heart disease (IHD) or a previous heart attack. Patients are randomised into three groups. The first group receive injections of G-CSF, a growth factor that stimulates bone marrow, once a day for five consecutive days. Those in the second and third group receive these injections and undergo a procedure to have stem cells extracted from bone marrow in their hip. These cells are ‘purified’ in the Trust’s stem cell laboratory to separate them from serum also found in bone marrow. Within the second group, half of patients have their stem cells injected into their major coronary arteries via a catheter in a minimally invasive operation while the other half have their serum injected into their major coronary arteries. Within the third group, half will have their stem cells injected directly into their heart muscle while the other half will have their serum injected directly into their heart muscle.
* The REGENERATE-DCM Study will involve 200 patients with heart failure caused by idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Patients are randomised into two groups. The first group receive injections of G-CSF in their arm once a day for five consecutive days. The second group receive these injections and undergo a procedure to have stem cells extracted from their bone marrow in their hip. These cells are ‘purified’ in the Trust’s stem cell laboratory to separate them from serum also found in bone marrow. Within the second group, half will have their stem cells injected into their major coronary arteries via a catheter while the other half will have their serum injected into their major coronary arteries.
* The REGENERATE-AMI Study will involve 200 patients with recent Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or heart attack. Patients have stem cells extracted from bone marrow in their hip shortly after undergoing a primary or emergency angioplasty to clear the blockage that triggered their heart attack. These cells are purified in the Trust’s stem cell laboratory to separate them from serum also found in bone marrow. Half of patients will have their stem cells injected directly into their major coronary arteries via a catheter while the other half will have their serum injected into their major coronary arteries.

Primary Angioplasty

Doctors at Barts and The London NHS Trust were among the first in the UK to offer primary or emergency angioplasties routinely to heart attack patients. Instead of going to A&E, appropriate patients are taken directly to The London Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green, part of the Trust, where they immediately undergo this procedure. A catheter is inserted into the patient’s body and fed up through their arteries until it reaches the blockage. A tiny balloon is fed up through the catheter and blown up when it reaches the blockage, re-opening the artery and clearing the blockage. A stent or tiny metal scaffold is then placed inside the artery to stop it from narrowing and becoming blocked again. The procedure is carried out under local anaesthetic so patients are usually awake throughout.
Barts and The London NHS Trust

Barts and The London NHS Trust is one of Britain’s top teaching hospital trusts. Over 500,000 people from the City, East London and further afield are treated at the Trust every year. The Trust is made up of three hospitals - Barts in the City, The Royal London in Whitechapel and The London Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green.
Heart Cells Foundation

The Heart Cells Foundation is a registered charity (No. 1101727). It was set up in January 2004 to raise money to fund research into stem cells for the treatment of heart disease. Its trustees are Ian Rosenberg, Jenifer Rosenberg, Dr Anthony Mathur (advisor), Dr Anthony Nathan, Sir Bernard Rix, Professor Martin Rothman, Stephen Sampson and Nicholas Woolf.

Individuals interested in taking part in the clinical trial can obtain further information by telephoning 020 7377 7333 or by emailing [email protected]

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