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Stem cell–derived heart cells injected into first patient
Nature Medicine explores the latest translational and clinical research news, with Heartseed and Novo Nordisk’s clinical trial of iPSC–derived cardiomyocytes for the treatment of heart failure.
The Japanese biotech firm Heartseed and Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk have announced successful dosing of the first patient with their investigational cell therapy for severe heart failure. The first-in-human LAPiS phase 1/2 dose-escalation study uses heart muscle cells differentiated in vitro from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The cardiomyocytes are injected directly into the patient’s heart muscle during a coronary bypass operation. On the basis of data from the first 4 weeks after transplantation of the cells into a single patient, an independent safety regulatory committee has given the trial a green light to continue in more patients, with monitoring for a year.