CADUCEUS, SCIPIO, ALCADIA: Cell therapy trials using cardiac-° ‐derived cells for patients with post myocardial infarction LV dysfunction, still evolving

The early results of the CArdiosphere-Derived aUtologous stem CElls to reverse ventricUlar dySfunction study were recently published in the Lancet [1]. This study is a phase 1 prospective randomised study, performed at two centres. The study was designed to test the hypothesis that intracoronary infusion of autologous cardiac-derived cells following myocardial infarction can reduce the size of the infarct and increase the amount of viable myocardium. The eligible patients were randomised in a 2:1 ratio to receive CDCs or standard care. In all, 17 patients were randomised to cell therapy and 8 to standard care. The cell therapy consisted of an infusion of 25 million cells into the infarct related artery, 1.5–3 months after successful primary angioplasty in patients who developed LV dysfunction (EF less than 37 per cent). The cells were derived from RV endomyocardial biopsies performed within the previous 37 days. The number of cells was determined from previous experimental studies of the maximum number of cells which can be injected without inducing infarction. The study was not blinded because of ethical considerations regarding performing right ventricular biopsy on the controls. The exclusion criteria included patients who had evidence of right ventricular infarction, or could not have an MRI examination because of claustrophobia or prior insertion of devices. There was no death, myocardial infarction or serious arrhythmia reported in either group during the period of follow up, which was between 6-12 months. Serious adverse events were observed in 24 percent of the intervention group versus 12 per cent in the controls (p not significant).