Bioheart Inc. and PharmaCell announced the grand opening of a GMP lab facility in Maastricht, The Netherlands. The lab facility is in compliance with EU Good Manufacturing Practices (EU-GMP). This new lab is an advanced research facility that also has GMP cell production capabilities to support research related to Bioheart's adult muscle stem cell technology.

Bioheart has developed MyoCell, a cell therapy that involves extracting and culturing cells from a patient's own thigh muscle. These cells are inserted back into the patient's damaged heart region via the MyoCath, a minimally-invasive injection-catheter system. The research at the lab could lead to new intellectual property development and more job creation for the Maastricht region.


"We are excited about the opening of this GMP facility that will support our research," said Howard J. Leonhardt, chairman and CEO of Bioheart. "We chose the Maastricht region due to its highly educated workforce and its ideal location with close proximity to top research institutes such as the University of Maastricht," he added.

PharmaCell is a unique enterprise which grows cells and conducts research for third parties. PharmaCell's facility contains three small cell cultivation units and a GMP production unit in the Biopartner Center in Maastricht.

Bioheart, Inc. is focused on developing and commercializing cell-based therapies for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, including myocardial infarction and heart failure.