BioCardia and StemCardia Partnership Seeks to Advance Stem Cell Therapy for Heart Failure

March 13, 2024—BioCardia, Inc. and StemCardia, Inc. announced a long-term partnership to advance StemCardia’s investigational pluripotent stem cell product candidate for the treatment of heart failure.

BioCardia is a biotechnology company focused on late-stage cell therapy interventions for cardiovascular disorders. StemCardia is a biotechnology company focused on cell and gene therapy to remuscularize the failing heart.

Under the partnership, BioCardia is the exclusive biotherapeutic delivery partner for StemCardia’s cell therapy candidate through studies expected to result in FDA approval of an investigational new drug application and the anticipated phase 1/2 clinical development to follow.

In the press release, Chuck Murry, MD, StemCardia’s Founder and CEO, and BioCardia’s CEO Peter Altman, PhD, discussed this development.

“BioCardia has established safe and minimally invasive delivery of cellular medicines directly into the heart,” commented Dr. Murry. “Having worked with BioCardia to successfully deliver our bona fide cardiac muscle cells in large animal models of heart failure, we are excited for this partnership to accelerate clinical development and broaden future commercial access to an off-the-shelf heart regeneration treatment.”

Dr. Altman stated, “StemCardia’s team encompasses recognized leaders in the field of cardiac regenerative medicine who are pursuing an elegant strategy to repair the failing heart. We look forward to supporting their efforts with our experienced team and proven, proprietary Helix biotherapeutic delivery system.” The Helix transendocardial biotherapeutic delivery system is a therapeutic-enabling platform for minimally invasive targeted delivery of biologic agents to the heart, noted the press release.

Dr. Altman continued, “This partnership is expected to enhance future treatment options for millions of people suffering from heart failure, offset the costs of biotherapeutic delivery development for our own programs, and provide our investors with meaningful revenue sharing should our efforts together contribute to StemCardia’s successful therapeutic development.”