Stem cell homing

Rostock research in cardiac stem cell therapy awarded

17-Feb-2010 - Germany

The German Society for Thoracic, Cardiac and vascular surgery (DGTHG) honoured two young physicians from Rostock with prizes for their scientific work on stem cell homing: Dr. Christian Klopsch received the Science Award of the Ulrich-Karsten-Foundation for his work in which he examined, whether an injection of Erythropoetin (also known as doping substance EPO) might stimulate bone marrow stem cells to transmigrate into an infarcted heart. Dr. Peter Donndorf got the Young Investigator Award of the DGTHG for his doctoral thesis in which he dealt more basically with the question which enzymes and signal molecules might influence the migration of stem cells to an inflammatory changed tissue.

The Science Award of the Ulrich-Karsten-Foundation is award every two years to young scientists who have already presented excellent scientific works in the area of cardiovascular diseases and will put further efforts in this specific field. The DGHTG Young Investigator Award rewards annually experimental and clinically relevant dissertations in the field of thorax, heart and vascular surgery.

In fact, autologous stem cells can help in cardiac recovery after myocardial infarction. Present clinical studies on this therapy use autologous stem cells taken from the patient's bone marrow, in most cases from the iliac crest. These stem cells are transplanted to the injured cardiac tissue, either directly by injection or via intravascular catheter technique. It would be more comfortable for the patients, if there was a possibility stimulating the bone marrow stem cells to migrate into the heart, when they are needed for regeneration processes. Dr. Christian Klopsch has shown in rats that after an injection of EPO an increasing number of stem cells can be determined in the infarcted heart. These stem cells might have caused a clear improvement of the heart function, besides the creation of new tissue observed inhere. Long term monitoring as well as analysis of different organs from the animals showed no indication of adverse side effects, e.g. thromboses.

Dr. Peter Donndorf observed by intravital microscopy the behaviour of bone marrow stem cells after injection in the vascular system of mice. Under different conditions he focussed on the enzyme eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase). He could show that this enzyme plays a special role in the interaction of stem cells with the cells of the vascular wall. It also has a determining influence on the successful migration of stem cells in inflammatory changed tissue.

Both physicians work at the Clinic for Cardiac Surgery at the University of Rostock. 26-year-old Christian Klopsch received his MD in January and is currently qualifying as a specialist. Peter Donndorf (28) already did his doctorate in 2009 and is resident at the Department of Cardiac Surgery. He also acts as an investigator in clinical studies.

https://www.bionity.com/en/news/113527/stem-cell-homing.html