Treating Heart Failure With hPSC-CMs (HEAL-CHF)

Epicardial Injection of Allogeneic Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Cardiomyocytes to Treat Severe Chronic Heart Failure

Heart failure has a high morbidity and mortality because the heart is one of the least regenerative organs in the human body. Drug treatments for heart failure manage symptoms but do not restore lost myocytes. Cellular replacement therapy is a potential approach to repair damaged myocardial tissue, restore cardiac function, which has become a new strategy for the treatment of heart failure. The purpose of this study is to assess the safety, feasibility and efficacy of intramyocardial delivery of cardiomyocytes at the time of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with chronic heart failure.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Heart Failure
• Intervention / Treatment: Biological: hPSC-CM Therapy

Detailed Description

Patients with heart failure will be treated with allogenic human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes ( hPSC-CM ) from healthy donors. The cells will be injected directly into the myocardium at time of coronary artery bypass grafting. Patients will be assessed at 1, 6 and 12 months after cell transplantation for safety, feasibility and efficacy.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Phase 2; Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Jiangsu
    • Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, 210000
      • HelpThera

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 31 years to 71 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion criteria

1. Aged 35-75 (including 35 and 75).
2. Have signed the Informed Consent Form (ICF).
3. Patients have chronic left ventricular dysfunction.
4. Patients have NYHA Class III-IV cardiac function even after improved medication for the treatment of advanced chronic heart failure.
5. Patients have indications for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting.
6. 20% ≤ LVEF ≤ 45% as determined by echocardiogram (data collected up to 6 months prior to inclusion evaluation are valid; data collected within 1 month since a myocardial infarction are invalid).
7. Weakening or absence of segmental regional wall motion as determined by standard imaging.

Exclusion criteria

1. PRA ≥ 20% or DSA-positive.
2. Patient received ICD transplantation, CRT or similar treatment.
3. Patients with valvular heart disease or received heart valvular disease
4. Patients received treatment of percutaneous transluminal coronary intervention (PCI)
5. Patients with atrial fibrillation
6. Patients previously suffered sustained ventricular tachycardia or sudden cardiac death.
7. Baseline glomerular filtration rate <30ml/min/1.73m2.
8. Liver dysfunction, as evidenced by enzymes (AST and ALT) greater than three times the ULN.
9. Hematological abnormality: A hematocrit <25% as determined by HCT, white blood cell<2500/ul or platelet values <100000/ul without another explanation.
10. Known, serious radiographic contrast allergy, penicillin allergy, streptomycin allergy.
11. Coagulopathy (INR>1.3) not due to a reversible cause.
12. Contra-indication to performance of a MRI scan.
13. Recipients of organ transplant.
14. Clinical history of malignancy within 5 years (patients with prior malignancy must be disease free for 5 years).
15. Non-cardiac condition that limits lifespan <1 year.
16. On chronic therapy with immunosuppressant medication, such as glucocorticoid and TNFα antagonist.
17. Patients allergy to or cannot use immunosuppressant.
18. Serum positive for HIV, HBV, HCV, TP.
19. Currently enrolled other investigational therapeutic or device study.
20. Patients who are pregnant or breast feeding.
21. Other conditions that researchers consider not suitable to participate in this study.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: hPSC-CM Therapy; Procedure: Injection of allogenic human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) during coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. 200 million hPSC-CMs in 2.5-5 mL medium suspension will be injected into the myocardium.	Biological: hPSC-CM Therapy; Injection of allogenic human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) during coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. 200 million hPSC-CMs in 2.5-5 mL medium suspension will be injected into the myocardium.
Sham Comparator: Control; Procedure: Coronary artery bypass grafting surgery only.	Biological: hPSC-CM Therapy; Injection of allogenic human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) during coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. 200 million hPSC-CMs in 2.5-5 mL medium suspension will be injected into the myocardium.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Incidence of sustained ventricular arrhythmias	defined as the proportion of patients experiencing ventricular arrhythmias lasting more than 30 seconds	1~6 Month Post-operation
Incidence of newly formed tumors	by comparing chest, abdominal and pelvic CT scan and PET-CT scan	1~12 Month Post-operation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Overall Left Ventricular systolic performance as assessed by PET/ECT Scan	Myocardium perfusion	Baseline, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation
Incidence of Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE)	Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE), defined as the composite incidence of (1) death, (2) non-lethal myocardial infraction, and (3) hospitalization for worsening HF	Baseline, 1~12 Months Post-operation
Incidence of Serious Adverse Events (SAE)	SAE justified (all undesirable or unintended diseases or laboratory and imaging disorders and symptoms that occur in subjects after CABG surgery and 12 months postoperative follow-up, or until the subject withdrawals from the study. AE grading will be based on Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) V5.0.)	Baseline, 1~12 Months Post-operation
Incidence of severe arrhythmia	Clinically significant arrhythmias will be recorded by Electrocardiogram monitoring	First month post-operatively
Overall Left Ventricular systolic performance as assessed by MRI	Size of infracted myocardium, left ventricular side wall thickness at diastolic, interventricular septum thickness, left ventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-systolic volume and end-diastolic volume, stroke volume, cardiac output, myocardium density and left ventricular mass at diastolic will be evaluated and compared to baseline values.	Baseline, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation
Overall Left Ventricular systolic performance as assessed by Echocardiogram	Interventricular septum thickness at diastolic, left ventricular end-systolic diameter and end-diastolic diameter, left ventricular posterior wall thickness at diastolic, left atrial diameter, left ventricular ejection fraction, mitral flow pattern (E/A) will be evaluated and compared to baseline values.	Baseline, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation
Functional status by 6 minute walk test	Evaluate Functional Capacity via the Six Minute Walk Test	Baseline, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation
Functional status by New York Heart Association (NYHA) Classification	Evaluate Functional Capacity via New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class Determination	Baseline, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation
Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ)	Evaluate Quality Of Life Changes via Minnesota Living with Heart Failure (MLHF). The Maximum possible scores being 105 and the minimum 0. Higher scores indicate a worse or worsening quality of life, while lower scores or decreasing scores indicate a better quality of life.	Baseline, 1, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation
Changes in penal reactive antibodies (PRA)	Changes in penal reactive antibodies (PRA) as assessed via blooddraw	Baseline, 1, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation
Changes in donor specific antibodies (DSA)	Changes in donor specific antibodies (DSA) as assessed via blooddraw	Baseline, 1, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation
Changes in cytokines	Change in NT-proBNP as assessed via blooddraw	Baseline,1, 6 and 12 Months Post-operation

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Help Therapeutics
• Collaborators: The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: DongJin Wang, MD, The Affiliated Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Zhang H, Xue Y, Pan T, Zhu X, Chong H, Xu C, Fan F, Cao H, Zhang B, Pan J, Zhou Q, Yang G, Wang J, Wang DJ. Epicardial injection of allogeneic human-induced-pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in patients with advanced heart failure: protocol for a phase I/IIa dose-escalation clinical trial. BMJ Open. 2022 May 6;12(5):e056264. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056264.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): October 8, 2021
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 30, 2024
• Study Completion (Actual): October 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 9, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 1, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): December 4, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 22, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 18, 2025
• Last Verified: August 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Cardiovascular Diseases; Heart Diseases; Heart Failure
• Other Study ID Numbers: JWang

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Results of the trial will be disseminated to study participants through direct consultation with a trial clinician at completion of the trial, as well as through the publication of results.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: One year after study completed
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Results of the trial will be disseminated to study participants through direct consultation with a trial clinician at completion of the trial, as well as through the publication of results.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No