Cardiac bioimplants for heart attack treatment

Over the past three years, seven interventions using this pioneering tissue engineering approach have demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and no rejection incidents in patients. The first intervention, almost four years ago, marked the beginning of a series of successful applications of this new therapy.

Dr. Antoni Bayés, ICREC researcher and the first author of the study, stated, “This pioneering human clinical trial comes after many years of research in tissue engineering, representing a very innovative and hopeful treatment for patients with a heart scar resulting from a heart attack”. The study not only confirmed the safety of PeriCord but also revealed its exceptional anti-inflammatory properties, which may have broader applications for treating various inflammatory conditions.

PeriCord is the world’s first tissue-engineered product of its kind, combining cells and tissues optimized in the laboratory to promote cardiac repair. The therapy involves attaching a bioimplant to the scarred area of the heart during coronary bypass surgery, helping to restore the heart’s functional capacity.

Dr. Sergi Querol, head of the Cellular and Advanced Therapies Service at BST, emphasized the potential of PeriCord to modulate inflammatory processes, suggesting that its benefits could extend beyond cardiac therapy.

The therapy targets patients who have suffered a heart attack, with reduced quality of life and life expectancy. The bioimplant initiates cellular mechanisms involved in tissue repair, significantly improving the patients' quality of life. The membrane used in PeriCord comes from the pericardium of a tissue donor, which is then decellularized, lyophilized, and recellularized with mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord donors.

Following the initial success, a broader clinical trial included 12 candidates for coronary bypass, comparing those treated with PeriCord against those without. The outcomes have further confirmed the safety and efficacy of this treatment, paving the way for its potential use in other areas of medicine involving tissue repair and inflammation.

MEDICA-tradefair.com; Source: Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP)