Transplants using bone-marrow-derived progenitor or stem cells have also been conducted. Strauer recruited 10 patients into a nonrandomized trial using autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM-MNCs), which comprise a subpopulation of CD133+ CD45+ stem cells, were purified with a Ficoll-density gradient, cultured overnight and administered into the infract-incriminated artery by means of high-pressure infusion. The size of the infracted region decreased after 3 months, while stroke volume was significantly increased even as the ejection fraction remained unchanged.

Tse adopted a different means of cell delivery and administered freshly isolated CD34+ CD45+ BM-MNCs using a catheter-based transendocardial approach in his study. Fourteen patients with severe ischemic heart failure were recruited into a nanrandomized trial, in which half the patients received cells. There was an improvement in global LV function and a significant reduction in total reversible defect was observed 2 months postoperatively.

A similar improvement was observed when the study was repeated on a group of eight patients with stable pharmacological refractory angina. The study yielded promising results. There was an improvement in target wall motion and thickening, no evidence of arrhythmias and the mean LVEF remained unchanged. In addition, a decrease in the number of anginal episodes was reported at 3 months of follow-up. In another nonrandomized trial, the effects of intracoronary administration of bone-marrow-derived CD34+ CD45+ cells or circulating blood-derived CD105+ CD31+ KDR+ vWF+ cells were evaluated in 20 patients diagnosed with reperfused MI. A significant improvement was reported after 4 months, in the regional wall motion and LVEF in both groups with respect to the control group. Myocardial viability was enhanced in the infarct area in both experimental groups, while end-systolic volumes remained unchanged in cell-treated groups. There were no reports of adverse consequences following the trial.

A Biotechnology company Theravitae has developed technology which utilizes autologous Angiogenic cell Precusors (ACP), generated ex-vivo from a sample of peripheral blood Vescell Vescell (ACPs) are characterized by similar features as EPCs with regard to their development in the bone marrow, migration into circulation and function. However, as these cells induce the formation of blood vessels by a variety of means, are not limited to differentiating into the endothelial lineage, and may have the potential to differentiate into both blood vessel-forming cells and heart muscle.

A unique characteristic of Vescell is that validation tests are conducted that characterized for viability, phenotype, level of differentiation, and physiological activity parameters. Thus cells that are used for treatment contain at least 75% viable cells, a proportion of cells that that express angiogenic cell marker and also exhibit physiological activity.

In a study of 24 patients prospectively enrolled and treated with ACPs ,derived from non-mobilized peripheral blood average 32.3 x 10⁶ ± 4.2 x 10⁶ , were injected via a catheter with proximal balloon occlusion of the coronary artery supplying ischemic myocardium, Therapy administration was based on identifying ischemic but viable myocardium, assessed by SPECT,in the distribution of the coronary arteries that were totally occluded.