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William Beaumont Hospital

Laurace E Townsend

David A Smith

Ronald G Duff

Michael J Borrelli

Dawn Newman

Diane E Maupin

The present invention relates to a method for inducing myocardial cell proliferation. It is based, at least in part, on the discovery that adult human myocardial cells may be induced to proliferate in culture by exposure to a platelet freeze/thaw extract. The present invention provides for a method for inducing myocardial cell proliferation in vitro, as well as for myocardial cell cultures produced by this method. In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides for human myocardial cell cultures. The myocardial cell cultures of the invention may be used to study the physiology of cardiac muscle. In addition, they may be used to identify pharmaceutical agents that may be useful in the treatment of heart disease or, alternatively, agents that are cardiotoxic. Furthermore, the cultures of the invention may be used to provide myocardial cells that may be transplanted or implanted in a patient that suffers from a cardiac disorder. In further embodiments, the present invention also provides for a method for inducing myocardial cell proliferation in vivo. Such methods may be used in the treatment of patients suffering from cardiac disorders, particularly those who have suffered damage or loss of cardiac muscle tissue.

Method for inducing human myocardial cell proliferation

The present invention provides methods for isolating and culturing human myocardiocytes from adult human atrial tissue and proliferating cultures resulting therefrom. In one embodiment, the myocardial cells are substantially dissociated through sequential enzymatic digestion and plated on growth medium selective for myocardial cell growth. In another embodiment, the atrial tissue is subjected to only limited digestion to provide an explant tissue portion which is cultured under conditions favoring cell proliferation. Cells migrating from the explant are isolated and subjected to time-based selective attachment and selective growth techniques which result in a myocardial cell culture of approximately 93% purity.

Method of isolation, culture and proliferation of human atrial myocytes

An apparatus and method for culturing living endothelial cells is provided. The apparatus comprises a cell growth container, which in a preferred embodiment is a synthetic graft, heat crimped at both ends. The apparatus further comprises a rotation container that may contain the cell growth container and is attached to a rotation apparatus. The apparatus further comprises fixturing apparatus, which in a preferred embodiment is a pair of o-ring members, that enhances a separated condition of the cell growth container within the rotation container. The method of the present invention comprises providing a culture that includes living cells and a growth medium, introducing the culture into a cell growth container, heat crimping the cell growth container to substantially seal the cell growth container, and positioning fixturing apparatus upon the external surface of the cell growth container. This assembly is inserted into a rotation container, which is rotated by a rotation apparatus.

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Grosse Pointe Park, MI, United States of America

Laurace E Townsend