Mayo Clinic is announcing the first stem cell clinical trial for pediatric congenital heart disease in the United States. The trial aims to determine how stem cells from autologous umbilical cord blood can help children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). It will test the safety and feasibility of delivering a personalized cell-based therapy into the heart of 10 infants affected by HLHS. Pediatric cardiovascular surgeon for Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Harold Burkhart, M.D., says, "We want to see if these stem cells will increase the volume and strength of the heart muscle to give it greater durability and power to pump blood throughout the body." Currently, treatment for babies born with HLHS involves a series of three heart surgeries to redirect blood flow through the heart or transplantation.
