SUNRISE, FL, USA I April 23, 2014 I Bioheart, Inc. (OTCQB: BHRT), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of autologous cell therapies, announced that it will enroll patients in a new study for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study will enroll up to 100 patients to determine the safety and efficacy of adipose derived stem cells or AdipoCell™ in patients with COPD.

Bioheart, together with the team at the Regenerative Medicine Institute in Mexico has been studying the safety and efficacy of using adipose derived cells in many indications. In one study, patients with COPD were studied for a period of 6 months. On average, patients have demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in their quality of life parameters as well as their exercise capacity. The full results from this study will be published later this year. 

Armando Pineda, MD of Miami, Florida is the principal investigator for the study. “COPD is a progressive disease that makes it hard to breathe and there are very few options for patients. We are excited to continue the studies that have shown promise,” said Dr. Pineda.

Bioheart has initiated this new study for COPD which will include a randomized control arm and will expand on the results that were demonstrated in the trial in Mexico. The study has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the International Cellular Medicine Society (ICMS). The ICMS IRB is committed to providing peer review of proposed studies of cell-based medical therapies based upon appropriate clinical translation, patient care and safety. 

About Bioheart, Inc.
Bioheart, Inc. is committed to maintaining its leading position within the cardiovascular sector of the cell technology industry delivering cell therapies and biologics that help address congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia, acute myocardial infarctions and other issues. Bioheart’s goals are to cause damaged tissue to be regenerated, when possible, and to improve a patient’s quality of life and reduce health care costs and hospitalizations.

Specific to biotechnology, Bioheart is focused on the discovery, development and, subject to regulatory approval, commercialization of autologous cell therapies for the treatment of chronic and acute heart damage and peripheral vascular disease. Its leading product, MyoCell, is a clinical muscle-derived cell therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient’s heart with new living cells for the purpose of improving cardiac function in chronic heart failure patients. For more information on Bioheart, visit www.bioheartinc.com, or visit us on Facebook: Bioheart and Twitter @BioheartInc.

About ICMS
The ICMS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional medical organization that is focused on the development of standards for the evaluation of point-of-care, cell-based therapeutics worldwide. With over 3,500 members from over 35 countries, the ICMS is a global leader in patient safety through strict evaluation of therapies and rigorous oversight of clinics and facilities providing cell-based medical therapies. The ICMS maintains an independent Institutional review Board and manages a comprehensive Treatment Registry that tracks patient outcomes. More information can be found at www.cellmedicinesociety.org.

SOURCE: Bioheart