Regenerative therapies company Bioheart (OTC:BHRT) is about to embark on a clinical trial to evaluate its proprietary stem cell therapy in treatment of dry macular degeneration, a condition which results in loss of vision.
Bioheart will enroll up to 100 patients for treatment with its AdipoCell therapy, based on adipose derived stem cells. The trial won approval the Institutional Review Board of the International Cellular Medicine Society, Bioheart announced today.
"Macular degeneration is a debilitating medical condition which results in the loss of vision and there are very few options for patients," principal investigator and Hollywood Eye Institute physician Dr. Shareen Greenbaum said on behalf of the company. "We are excited to determine whether cellular therapy can offer new hope to this patient population."
Bioheart is developing its stem cell therapies for a range of conditions, including congestive heart failure, lower limb ischemia, chronic heart ischemia and others. The company earlier this year asked the FDA to approve “compassionate use” access for its MyoCell and LipiCell cell therapy products in at-risk heart failure patients with no alternatives.
The news did little for BHRT shares, which were down 5.9% to 0.9¢ as of about 3:05 p.m. today.
