SUNRISE, Fla. and CLEVELAND, Feb. 26, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Bioheart, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative cell therapies for the treatment of heart attacks, announced today that it has provided an unrestricted research grant to the Ohio Cell-based Therapy Consortium (OCTC) in the amount of $100,000. The OCTC was established by the Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine (CSCRM, http://stemcellcenter.case.edu) and the National Center for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM, www.ncrm.us), both of Cleveland, OH, and consists of a statewide network of clinician researchers at key Ohio institutions. The first working group, the OCTC-Cardiovascular, is focusing on translational cardiovascular clinical applications with Daniel I. Simon M.D. of University Hospitals Case Medical Center serving as Director and Marc Penn, M.D., Ph.D., of the Cleveland Clinic serving as Associate Director.
"We are happy to provide this unrestricted grant to this great organization and are glad to see the State of Ohio taking the initiative to support the development of cell-based therapies for cardiovascular diseases," said Howard J. Leonhardt, Chairman and CEO of Bioheart, Inc.
"The Ohio Cell-based Therapy Consortium was created to exchange information about clinical applications of cell therapies and to promote multi-center clinical trials at key institutions across the state," said Dr. Simon, Director of the Consortium and Chief, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center. "Bioheart's generous unrestricted research grant to the Consortium will help to facilitate the application of emerging stem cell discoveries into our patients with advanced cardiovascular disease."
About the OCTC:
The OCTC is coordinated by the NCRM/CSCRM to promote a broader application of innovative, early stage cell therapies. The long-term vision of the Consortium is to become a preeminent group of translational investigators that provides pre-clinical, translational, and direct clinical research opportunities for the commercial development of revascularization interventions with adjunctive non-embryonic cellular therapy. The OCTC is establishing a multi-site clinical trial infrastructure to coordinate and support these activities.
About the OCTC-Cardiovascular:
The Consortium's first working group, the OCTC-Cardiovascular, is focused on translational cardiovascular clinical applications. The participants are Daniel I. Simon and Vincent Pompili (University Hospitals Case Medical Center), Marc Penn and Stephen Ellis (Cleveland Clinic), William Abraham (Ohio State University, Columbus), Christopher Cooper (Medical University of Ohio, Toledo), Dean Kereiakes (Christ Hospital, Cincinnati), and Neil Weintraub (University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati). This preeminent group represents the premier cardiology clinical trials sites in the state of Ohio with many participants being leaders of national and international recognition.
The OCTC-Cardiovascular plans to leverage the member health care systems for clinical trials. The emphasis will be on early Phase I and II clinical investigations that help optimize cell therapies to improve ventricular function and structure. A primary goal of the Consortium is to conduct simultaneous trials to rapidly advance promising therapies through the FDA approval process. The Consortium will also coordinate the training of state-of-the-art cell delivery technologies to its members and will provide the necessary infrastructure to develop, coordinate, and conduct multiple collaborative clinical protocols. By utilizing multiple world-class healthcare systems, the Consortium will facilitate application of emerging scientific discoveries into clinical investigations. Additionally, small Phase I Trials will be performed at individual sites, while larger more involved Phase II trials will be spread throughout the coordinated Consortium. OCTC participants have strong ties to established biotechnology partners in Ohio (e.g., RegenRx Arteriocyte, Athersys, Bioheart). Discoveries from this Consortium will spawn new business opportunities in biomedical therapeutics.
About Bioheart:
Bioheart, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery, development and future commercialization of therapies using cells derived from a patient's body, and related devices, for the treatment of heart damage. Our lead product candidate, MyoCell(r) implantation therapy, an innovative clinical therapy designed to populate regions of scar tissue within a patient's heart with living muscle tissue for the purpose of improving cardiac function. Bioheart is currently testing MyoCell(r) and MyoCath(r), its proprietary catheter delivery system, for the non-acute treatment of damage to the heart in patients in Class II or Class III heart failure according to the New York Heart Association heart failure classification system. For more information about Bioheart, please visit http://www.bioheartinc.com or telephone Mr. Jason Griffeth at 954-835-1500.
About Case Medical Center:
Case Medical Center, comprised of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals, Case Research Institute and the Case Medical Group, is the historic affiliation of a shared commitment to achieve national leadership through the promotion and innovation of leading-edge medical education, pioneering research, superior teaching and advanced patient care. For more information, visit www.UHhospitals.org
About Cleveland Clinic:
Cleveland Clinic, located in Cleveland, Ohio, is a not-for-profit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. Approximately 1,700 full-time salaried physicians at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Florida represent more than 100 medical specialties and subspecialties. In 2005, there were 2.9 million outpatient visits to Cleveland Clinic. Patients came for treatment from every state and from more than 80 countries. There were nearly 54,000 hospital admissions to Cleveland Clinic in 2005. For more information, visit: http://www.clevelandclinic.org