Doctors in the UK are to treat heart attack patients with stem cells taken from their own bone marrow in a pioneering attempt to prevent death and suffering.
The 50 patients will have the stem cells injected into their hearts within the critical five hours after suffering a heart attack.
The research project, the first to be supported by the UK Stem Cell Foundation, is aimed at delaying or preventing the onset of heart failure.
Patients' progress will be compared with another 50 patients given a "dummy" injection not containing stem cells.
Stem cells are immature cells with the potential to develop into different kinds of tissue.
Those from the bone marrow have been shown to have the ability to repair heart muscle and grow new blood vessels.
Heart failure occurs when the heart muscle is damaged and weakened. It is a frequent complication of heart attacks which can lead to a serious deterioration in quality of life, and sometimes death.
Patients brought to the London Chest Hospital and Heart Hospital will be recruited for the study.
They will also undergo emergency angioplasty - a procedure to open up blocked arteries - at the same time.
Dr Anthony Mathur, consultant cardiologist at the London Chest Hospital, part of Barts and the London NHS Trust, said: "If we can demonstrate improvement in the quality of life of patients, then this will be a significant step forward in the treatment of heart disease."
