The use of stem cell therapy for people suffering from Pulmonary Hypertension is becoming a reality. At the Jewish General Hospital for Pulmonary Vascular Disease in Montreal they have begun treating patients with Pulmonary Hypertension with their own modified stem cells. This clinical study is unique because it is the only one in the world using genetically modified stem cells.

The stem cells used have been genetically engineered with synthetic DNA in an extremely specialized lab, in order to produce nitric oxide. This chemical compound is a crucial molecule involved in the repair and protection of blood vessels. These enhanced stem cells are administered in a heart catheterization suite, and they lodge in the lung where hopefully they will stimulate repair and regeneration of blood vessels in the lung.

The procedure has cured many laboratory rats and doctors hope it will be as successful with humans. They are moving in the right direction and hopefully they will find an end all cure for this tragic disease.

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