Harvest, Isolation and Culture of Cardiac Stem Cells From Endomyocardial Biopsies

Heart failure is a devastating condition affecting nearly 6 million patients in the United
States alone. Ischemic cardiomyopathy, or pump failure secondary to previous heart attack, is
considered by many to be the leading cause of heart failure. Stem cell therapy, or
regeneration of the lost myocardium, is an intervention that has the potential for reversing
the detrimental effects of this disease. Recently published evidence has shown preliminary
results indicating the safety and feasibility of utilizing cardiac stem cells for the
treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy. The ability to use a commonly practiced method, such as
endomyocardial biopsy, to isolate and expand stem cell cultures could, potentially, make this
therapy widely available. The results of this study will be important for the design of
future clinical trials.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Any heart failure patient scheduled for RHC without contraindication for biopsy.

2. Any patient undergoing biopsy for diagnostic purposes may also be included in the
study.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Severe comorbidities (AST, ALT, serum creatinine > 3 times the upper limit of normal).

2. Pregnancy or women of childbearing potential.

3. Anticoagulation which cannot be stopped for 5-7 days.

4. Hepatitis B, C or HIV.

5. Inability to give informed consent.