New stem cell-based therapy can repair damaged heart, improve function
A breakthrough stem cell therapy, has shown that these stem cells, when transplanted into an injured heart, have the ability to repair damaged tissue and improve heart function, as per results of preclinical trials.
In this study, published in the journal npj Regenerative Medicine, a unique new protocol was used where pluripotent, or immature, stem cells were cultivated in the laboratory to grow into heart muscle precursor cells, which can develop into various types of heart cells.
In previous studies, the transplantation of heart muscle cells that were already beating, brought about fatal side effects -- namely, ventricular arrhythmia -- abnormal heart beats that can limit or stop the heart from supplying blood to the body.
The new procedure developed by Duke-NUS researchers involves transplanting non-beating heart cells into the damaged heart. After the transplantation, the cells expanded and acquired the rhythm of the rest of the heart. With this procedure, the incidence of arrhythmia was cut by half.
ارسال به دوستان