Abstract

Endogenous Laser Induced Ventricular Enhancement (ELIVE™) Therapy: A New Paradigm for Treating Heart Failure?

Michael Heke and med. Hans-Michael Klein

Endogenous Laser Induced Ventricular Enhancement (ELIVE™) therapy is an innovative approach of treating heart failure, evolved from the results achieved in a clinical trial that assessed safety and feasibility of laser-supported CD133pos intramyocardial cell transplantation in patients suffering from ischemic cardiomyopathy. This study demonstrated significant restoration potential of hibernating myocardium upon autologous, bone marrow-derived cell transplantation when supported by low-energy laser treatment. ELIVE™ therapy now employs a new generation of laser, featuring a hollow fiber waveguide, rendering this approach amenable for a minimally invasive procedure, in combination with a preceding granulocyte colony stimulating factor (GCSF) treatment of the patient in order to mobilize endogenous stem and progenitor cells. The rationale of this new therapy is for the patient himself to become his own ‘bioreactor’, effectively triggering and amplifying endogenous regeneration mechanisms based on autologous stem and progenitor cells.