Aastrom Biosciences, Inc, the leading developer of autologous cellular therapies for the treatment of severe cardiovascular diseases, has started an extension study for control patients from the company's ongoing open-label phase-2 IMPACT-DCM clinical trial in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The extension study is designed to offer control-group patients from the IMPACT-DCM trial the opportunity to receive treatment with an expanded mixture of their own bone marrow-derived stem and progenitor cells after completing at least 6 months of follow-up.

The initiation of this extension study follows a positive review of safety and efficacy data by the IMPACT-DCM data safety monitoring board (DSMB) for the first 20 patients who participated in the IMPACT-DCM trial. Independent approval of the amended protocol and initiation of the extension study has also been granted by all institutional review boards (IRBs) affiliated with the clinical study sites. Patient enrolment is expected this quarter.

Aastrom Biosciences is developing expanded autologous cellular therapies for use in the treatment of severe cardiovascular diseases.