Sheba Scientists Publish Important Finding About Human Heart Stem Cells

Sheba scientists just published an important scientific paper in the prestigious journal Circulation (December 2009 issue, published by the American Heart Association). The study shows that human heart stem cells can be obtained and grown from small, clinically relevant heart muscle specimens collected during any heart surgery or procedure.

Prof. Jonathan Leor, head of the Sheba Medical Center's Regenerative Medicine Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Center, and its Neufeld Cardiac Research Institute, and his colleagues, found that the best source for these heart stem cells is the upper right part of the heart and that these cells are more abundant in women.

Stem cells derived from the adult human heart are rare and difficult to isolate and grow. However, they have the potential to repair or cure heart diseases. "Our findings could promote the development of novel therapies in regenerative cardiovascular medicine," explains Prof. Leor.

The paper, "Patient Characteristics and Cell Source Determine the Number of Isolated Human Cardiac Progenitor Cells," was authored by Prof. Leor with co-authors Ayelet Itzhaki-Alfia and Dr. Israel M. Barbash; along with Profs. Ehud Raanani and Jacob Lavee of Sheba's department of cardiothoracic surgery; Dr. Leonid Sternik, Dr. Dan Spiegelstein, Shiri Netser, and Dr. Radka Holbova of Sheba Medical