The treatment uses adipose tissue-derived multipotent progenitor cells as a raw material, which are changed into cardiomyocytes within the heart muscle after administration by a cardiac catheter. Whereas the competing technology of cell sheets requires cardiovascular surgery, over 1200 hospitals in Japan can perform heart catheterization, and treatment can be done in a hospital at short distance from home. After face-to-face advice from the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), clinical trials will be started in 2016.

JST news release, April 10, 2015