Japan Hospital Performs World’s First Surgery Using Heart Muscle Stem Cells

By ADBN TV

September 30, 2026

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A hospital in Japan has carried out what is described as the world’s first surgery using commercially available heart muscle stem cells following conditional approval of the treatment earlier this year.

Sheets of heart muscle cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, known as iPS cells, were transplanted into the heart of a woman in her 50s during the hour-long operation.

The procedure marked the first clinical use of the regenerative therapy since it received conditional approval from the Japanese government in March.

Surgeon Yoshiki Sawa, head of Osaka Keisatsu Hospital, says the treatment is designed to improve heart function and the quality of life of patients who have exhausted other treatment options.

Earlier trials involving eight patients with ischemic heart disease showed improvements in symptoms, while four patients also recorded improved heart function.

Sawa developed the technology in collaboration with Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka, who won the 2012 Nobel Prize for his research into iPS cells.

The medical team plans to perform similar procedures on 75 patients by 2033 to further assess the treatment’s safety and effectiveness.

The therapy could receive full approval after its benefits and safety have been evaluated over the coming years.