Fed: Australian researchers develop life saving heart treatment

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2007
Fed: Australian researchers develop life saving heart treatment

BRISBANE, Aug 5 AAP - Australian heart specialists have developed a revolutionary treatment
they hope could save the lives of millions of cardio-vascular disease sufferers worldwide.

The treatment, developed by the Victor Chang Research Institute in Sydney, uses adult
stem cells from patients to generate new blood vessels and repair dead heart tissue, News
Ltd newspapers report.

In the first stage of the study patients from St Vincent's Hospital were injected with
a hormone, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF), which releases stem cells from
bone marrow into the blood stream.

The hormones are then fast-tracked to the heart with cardio-vascular exercise.

The GCSF hormones have passed safety tests and the second stage of human trials began last week.

More than 3.5 million Australians suffer from heart disease, with 50,000 dying every
year, accounting for 35 per cent of all deaths.

Sydney retiree Raymond Schofield, 64, says the treatment saved his life.

After suffering a heart attack in 2003 a cardiologist told Mr Schofield he had only
weeks left to live.

"He said to me: `You'd better put your affairs in order because you're not here for
long,'" Mr Schofield told AAP.

However, one of his doctors put him in touch with the institute and he was given the
chance to take part in the study.

Mr Schofield said the treatment had significantly improved his day to day living.

The only thing it hadn't done was improve his golf swing, he joked.

AAP ews/jt/mn

KEYWORD: HEART

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