Myoblast transplantation on the beating heart

Cellular cardiomyoplasty using various types of donor cells is now validated by a large number of experimental studies. We report a case of cellular cardiomyoplasty performed on a beating heart using autologous skeletal myoblasts, thus combining the efficacy of both procedures. Approximately 2.5 g of rectus femoris muscle tissue biopsy was taken from the patient and cultured using a patented procedure to generate human myoblasts. The cell type and the purity of the cell culture were ascertained by immunostaining for human desmin expression. Under direct vision and stabilization with the Octopus III tissue stabilizer, 3.70 x 10(8) myoblasts in 3 ml of the patient's own serum were injected into the myocardium in 20 sites on the anterior wall and near the apex on the posterior wall, in and around the infarcted areas. In this case report, this procedure was found to be a safe and viable option, with improvement in cardiac function.