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Stem cell heart patch could be lifeline for failing hearts

NCT ID NCT04396899

Disease control Sponsor: University Medical Center Goettingen Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This early-stage trial tests a patch made from stem cells that is implanted onto the heart to help it pump better. It is for people with severe heart failure who cannot have a heart transplant. The study will check if the patch is safe and if it improves heart function and symptoms.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
engineered heart muscle (EHM) made from stem cells
What this could lead to
If it works, this could offer a new treatment option for people with advanced heart failure who have no other options, potentially improving heart function and quality of life.
What could go wrong
This is an early-phase trial with only 53 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Risks include arrhythmias, immune rejection, and the procedure itself may not improve outcomes.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 1/2

Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.

Participants

About 53 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Feb 2020

Expected to finish

Dec 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 80 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Symptomatic heart failure (NYHA II-IV) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF with LVEF ≤35%) as assessed by echocardiography. 2. Patients on guideline-directed medical therapy 3. NT-proBNP \>300 pg/mL for patients in sinus rhythm or \>900 pg/mL if in atrial fibrillation 4. History of previous heart failure hospitalization in the past 12 months 5. At least one hypo- or dyskinetic segment or dilated heart chamber to demark the implant target area 6. (A) Stable disease condition allowing for an elective left-lateral mini-thoracotomy (for LV applications) or (B) open-chest surgery (for RV applications) for a clinically indicated intervention on the LV (e.g., coronary bypass surgery, valve repair, mechanical circulatory support device implantation) with concomitant RV dysfunction, diagnosed using the Tricuspid Annular Plane Systolic Excursion (TAPSE) index \<16 mm (Rudski et al. 2010). 7. 18-80 years of age 8. Willingness and ability to give written informed consent 9. Female subjects of childbearing potential must agree to use acceptable method(s) of contraception for the full study duration. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Contraindication to immunosuppressive drugs (e.g. known history of unresolved cancer, hepatitis B/C, HIV, HTLV1) 2. Contraindication to TachoSil® (e.g. hypersensitivity to human fibrinogen, human thrombin, horse collagen, human albumin, Riboflavin, Natriumchloride, Natriumcitrate, L-Arginin-Hydrochloride) 3. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) 4. Terminal kidney failure (stage 4; GFR \<30 ml/min) at the time of enrolment 5. Terminal liver failure (Child-Pugh stage C; score \>10) at the time of enrolment 6. History of disabling stroke 7. Reduced life expectancy in the short term due to non-cardiac disease 8. Any condition that excludes adherence to study protocol (in particular lack of adherence to prescribed medication) 9. Simultaneous participation in another interventional trial 10. Pregnant or breastfeeding females 11. Known or suspected alcohol and/or drug abuse

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

heart failure systolic heart failure

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Heart failure

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    3 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Herz- und Diabeteszentrum Nordrhein-Westfalen

    NOT_YET_RECRUITING

    Bad Oeynhausen, North Rhine-Westphalia, 32545, Germany

  • University Medical Center Göttingen

    RECRUITING

    Göttingen, Lower Saxony, 37075, Germany

  • University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein

    RECRUITING

    Lübeck, Schleswig-Holstein, 23562, Germany

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