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Regenerative therapies for the heart have come a long way from the first clinical trials and injected bone marrow cells directly into the heart muscle. Despite the modest improvements shown in those earlier studies, it became clear that the vast majority of cells that were implanted into the heart died soon after their introduction. This single fact left researchers looking for a better way to deliver cells into the damaged heart.

Several laboratories have tried to condition the stem cells before their injection in order to “toughen them up” so that they do not tend to die so easily. While these experiments have worked well in laboratory animals, no clinical trials have been conducted to date with conditioned stem cells. Another strategy is to place the cells on a patch that is then applied to the dead heart tissue in order to promote healing of the heart.

The patch strategy…