Bioheart awarded patent for heart repair method

Mar 18 2008

Bioheart, Inc. has announced that it has been awarded U.S. Patent #: 7341062 (J. Chachques and H. Leonhardt) for a method to repair damaged myocardium (heart tissue) by a combination of cell transplantation and electrostimulation.

The award of this patent brings to more than 100 the number of related patents and patents pending to which the company holds rights.

The patent covers methods for repairing damaged heart tissue by providing electrostimulation to patient-derived myogenic cells either in the laboratory while the cells are expanding or after the cells are implanted into the damaged areas of the patient's heart. One potential application for this technology that Bioheart is exploring is to adapt a bi-ventricular pacemaker with a separate lead that could apply the electrostimulation to the cell-transplanted regions. Electrostimulation induces the cells to contract in an even more synchronized basis with the surrounding tissue and increase their ability to release growth factors and other beneficial proteins. This patent is complimentary to Bioheart's previously granted patent for inducing angiogenesis by electrical stimulation, based on research conducted by Dr. Shinichi Kanno and Dr. Yasufumi Sato(1). Another application for this technology may be to combine it with Bioheart's MyoCell(R) therapy for the recovery of heart muscle in cardiac patients afflicted with damaged heart tissue.

"We are pleased with the awarding of this patent to Bioheart," said William M. Pinon, president and chief executive officer of Bioheart. "We believe that this procedure could one day be a cost-effective solution to improve patient outcomes and enhance the quality of life for cardiac patients worldwide."

Heart failure is associated with significant morbidity, high incidence of complications, frequent hospitalization and rising healthcare costs. In the United States alone, an estimated 5 million individuals have a diagnosis of "congestive heart failure," and an additional 500,000 new cases are diagnosed annually.

http://www.bioheartinc.com/