幹細胞論壇

心臟病經常名列國人十大死因的前五名，40歲以上的人口，每年約有6%、約50萬人，出現心臟衰竭的症狀，台灣大學與成功大學合作研發出直徑約80奈米的聚乳酸甘醇酸高分子(PLGA)粒子，能攜帶藥物、幹細胞，可望治療急性心肌梗塞。  
成大化學系教授葉晨聖和成大臨床醫學研究所教授謝清河、台大生化科學系教授何佳安組成的研究團隊。

成大醫院心臟外科主治醫師謝清河指出，心臟衰竭可能透過藥物、裝支架或手術移植治療，但藥物有副作用、支架不見得適合每個人、移植則因器官來源不足，必須漫長等待。

台大與成大研究團隊，透過「表面修飾」技術，讓PLGA粒子層層包覆藥物和幹細胞，使藥物「掛」在粒子表面上。藥劑型奈米材料與幹細胞結合，兼具追蹤與攜帶藥物功能，可提高改善血管區域面積效能達十倍，讓台灣在奈米級顆粒藥物應用早期心臟病治療居世界領先地位。

研究團隊已經將PLGA結合癌症藥物治療小鼠腫瘤；也用它和心血管藥物結合，打入小鼠心臟測試。目前他們規畫更進一步的動物實驗，希望開發治療急性心肌梗塞的藥物或針劑。

研究團隊也以自組裝胜奈米纖維水膠做為治療藥劑，直接注射到蘭嶼迷你豬的心臟梗塞受損區域，進而減緩心肌梗塞後心室壁變薄與心臟擴大等後遺症，改善心臟舒張功能異常。　

謝清河則強調說明，團隊下一階段將實驗注射老鼠血管，減少治療的侵入性與風險程度。不論是之前的水膠實驗或這次運用奈米顆粒的實驗，已獲國際矚目，並申請專利中，目前已經有藥廠表達興趣。

Stem cells, nanomaterials used to fight heart disease

By Lee I-chia  /  Staff Reporter

A research team funded by the National Science Council announced yesterday that combining certain nanomaterials with stem cells could offer a new cardiovascular regeneration treatment.

In the past, medical applications of nanomaterials have focused mainly on the detection and treatment of cancer, said research team leader Yeh Chen-sheng (葉晨聖), a professor of physical chemistry in National Cheng Kung University.

The nanomaterials used now have multiple functions of carrying medicine to the designated organs and dissolving in the diseased cells, tracking the effects of medicine and serving as a more effective treatment for cancer and congestive heart failure, he said.

According to team member Patrick Hsieh (謝清河), an associate professor and attending surgeon at the university’s Department of Surgery and Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, the major problem for congestive heart failure treatment is organ transplant rejection. Injected stem cells have a low survival rate, and their use is too time consuming when treating acute myocardial infarction (sudden heart attack).

Heart disease was among the top five causes of death in Taiwan, killing nearly 500,000 people, according to a report on the 10 major causes of death between 2001 and 2005.

The team is now working on taking their research to a clinical level, hoping to make a breakthrough in the treatment of heart disease.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2011/04/21/2003501309