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Catheter-based delivery of cells to the heart

Nature Clinical Practice Cardiovascular Medicine volume 3, pages S57–S64 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Clinical trials have begun to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of administering progenitor cells to the heart in order to repair or perhaps reverse the effects of myocardial ischemia and injury. In contrast to surgical-based injections, which are often coupled with coronary bypass surgery, catheter-based injections are less invasive and make it possible to evaluate cell products used as sole interventions. The two methods that have been tested in humans are injecting cells directly into the ventricular wall with catheter systems dedicated to that purpose and infusing cells into coronary arteries with standard balloon angioplasty catheters. The catheters described in this article have been shown in both animal and clinical studies to be effective in cell delivery and to be safe. They are well-designed and user-friendly devices, but require further investigation to identify means for optimizing cell retention and to address other limitations. Randomized, placebo-controlled trials utilizing catheters for cell implantation are under way, and others are soon to follow. The results of these studies will help to shape the direction of future investigations, both clinical and basic. The spectrum of cardiac diseases, the variety of catheters for cell delivery, and the wide array of progenitor cell types open up this young field to creative discoveries.

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Figure 1: MyoCath™ catheter for intramyocardial delivery of cells
Figure 2: Myostar™ catheter for intramyocardial delivery of cells
Figure 3: The Helix™ catheter for intramyocardial delivery of cells
Figure 4: The Stiletto™ catheter for intramyocardial delivery of cells
Figure 5: TransAccess Delivery System™ catheter for intramyocardial delivery of cells

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to V Fuster, of the Zena and Michael A Wiener Cardiovascular Institute and the Marie-Josée and Henry R Kravis Center for Cardiovascular Health, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA, and to MB Leon, of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation and of the Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy, Columbia University Medical Center, for their guidance in preparing this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Director of Cardiac Cell-Based Endovascular Therapies at The Center for Interventional Vascular Therapy, Columbia University Medical Center, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Warren Sherman

  2. a Research Fellow, in the Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Timothy P Martens

  3. a Research Associate at the Cardiovascular Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Juan F Viles-Gonzalez

  4. Professor of Cardiology at the Department of Cardiology and Internal Medicine, University School of Medical Sciences, District Hospital, Poznań, Poland

    Tomasz Siminiak

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  1. Warren Sherman
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  2. Timothy P Martens
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  4. Tomasz Siminiak
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Correspondence to Warren Sherman.

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The authors declare no competing financial interests.

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Sherman, W., Martens, T., Viles-Gonzalez, J. et al. Catheter-based delivery of cells to the heart. Nat Rev Cardiol 3 (Suppl 1), S57–S64 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpcardio0446

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