Heartseed has started dosing patients in a Phase I/II clinical trial testing HS-005, a stem cell-based therapy designed to regenerate damaged heart muscle in people with dilated cardiomyopathy and ischemic heart disease. The therapy uses induced pluripotent stem cells coaxed into cardiomyocytes — the beating cells of the heart — formed into spheroids and delivered via catheter. An independent safety committee reviewed data from the first treated patient and approved continuation of the trial. Fourteen patients will be enrolled across two heart failure groups. This marks an expansion of HS-005 beyond its original focus on ischemic heart disease, signaling growing ambition for cell-based cardiac repair as a potential future treatment for a condition that currently has limited curative options.
