Myocardial stimulation

Patent Number: 7,349,740

The positive effects of stem cells in cardiac conditions is supported by many clinical trials.  Efficacy has been demonstrated by both intracoronary administration, as well as intravenous administration of bone marrow and mesenchymal stem cells, respectively.

In this patent, Medronics was granted some pretty far-reaching claims.  This is a representative claim

"A method comprising electrically stimulating biological material transplanted in a myocardium of a heart during an ejection phase of a cardiac cycle wherein said method further comprises sensing a pressure in a ventricle of a heart and wherein electrically stimulating the biological material transplanted in the myocardium comprises delivering a set stimulating pulses to the biological material in response to the pressure"

To give an indication of how far reaching this is, lets examin what "biological material" means to them in the issued dependent claims:

- cells

- cells selected from skeletal myoblasts, differentiated stem cells, undifferentiated stem cells, fibroblasts, endothelial cells and genetically engineered cells.

- genes

- a chemoattractant

Essentially this patent is a great example of strong claim writing and prosecution for successful issuance. 

View this patent on the USPTO website.