The Marcus Foundation has awarded $28.7 million to the USC Stem Cell Center to fund a pioneering 2027 clinical trial at Keck Hospital. Led by Chuck Murry, the research will test stem-cell-derived heart muscle cells on 18 severe heart attack patients to repair damaged myocardial tissue using living medicine.
A massive philanthropic investment is setting the stage for a historic test in regenerative cardiology. The Marcus Foundation, founded by Home Depot co-founder and Giving Pledge early signatory Bernie Marcus, has delivered its largest-ever grant to USC to advance a clinical trial testing a cell-based therapy designed to reverse tissue damage following severe heart attacks.
The Challenge of Myocardial Infarction and Resident Heart Muscle Damage
For decades, adult human myocardial tissue has presented one of medicine’s most stubborn biological roadblocks. Because the heart ranks as one of the body’s least regenerative organs, a severe heart attack leaves behind scar tissue that the organ cannot repair on its own. This loss of functional muscle impairs blood-pumping capacity, plunging millions of patients into chronic struggles with everyday tasks such as walking to the mailbox.
Traditional cardiovascular care has focused almost exclusively on supporting a weakened heart rather than restoring it to health. Loss of functional heart tissue directly compromises oxygen delivery across the entire respiratory network because the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems operate within an inseparable structural circuit. Progenitor stimulation and local cellular communication are central to shifting the paradigm from basic symptom management to true cellular repair.
Inside Chuck Murry and the USC Stem Cell Center Clinical Trial Plan
The $28.7 million award will support Chuck Murry, MD, PhD, and his team as they bring decades of bench-to-bedside biotechnology into human testing. The upcoming study, scheduled to begin in 2027 at Keck Hospital of USC in partnership with the USC Cardiac and Vascular Institute alongside a second site at the University of Washington, will include a small cohort of about 18 patients who have suffered severe heart attacks.
The trial is designed primarily to evaluate safety, feasibility, and early signs of biological activity as stem-cell-derived heart muscle cells are delivered directly into scarred regions of the heart.
Dr. Steven D.
Living Medicine and the Mechanism of Cellular Synchronization
Unlike pharmaceutical interventions that manage symptoms or reduce workload on struggling ventricles, the therapy relies on living cellular units engineered to integrate directly into damaged myocardial layers.
“These cells are a new kind of living medicine. Once they are injected into the heart, they become active in repairing and synchronizing with the rest of the heart muscle. We’ve been working on this for more than two decades and are now at the threshold of a breakthrough in cardiology.”
Chuck Murry, Head of USC Stem Cell Center
In addition to direct cellular delivery, a portion of the grant will fund a parallel research track investigating immune responses to cell transplantation. Scientists will examine how immune cells interact with the transferred tissue, aiming to develop approaches that minimize or entirely eliminate the need for harsh immunosuppressive drug regimens in trial participants.
Philanthropic Scale and Institutional Leadership Perspectives
The award represents the largest philanthropic contribution The Marcus Foundation has ever made to USC, and one of the largest single grants it has ever directed toward academic medicine. University leadership emphasized the broader societal stakes of the initiative.
“This upcoming clinical trial has the potential to change and save the lives of millions of patients struggling with the downstream effects of damaged heart tissue after a heart attack,” said Keck School of Medicine Dean Carolyn Meltzer. “The Marcus Foundation is now an integral part of this lifesaving mission.”
Carolyn Meltzer, Dean of Keck School of Medicine
USC President Beong-Soo Kim added that the research support lays vital groundwork for additional research opportunities as the institution accelerates advanced cellular therapies designed to save lives.
What to Watch as the 2027 Trial Approach Nears
With laboratory development largely complete, attention shifts to protocol finalization and patient screening ahead of the 2027 launch date. Observers will be monitoring how the 18-patient cohort tolerates the initial cellular deliveries at Keck Hospital and the University of Washington partner site, as well as whether parallel discoveries in immune tolerance can successfully reduce reliance on immunosuppressive medications.
