Now, a way to repair heart without using stem cells

 

London: Scientists have turned scar tissue, that forms after a heart attack, into heart muscles without using stem cells. An international team, led by Duke University Medical Center, has used a new process which eliminates the need for stem cell transplant — molecules called microRNAs to trigger the tissue conversion in a laboratory dish.


    And, for the first time, in a living mouse, the scientists demonstrated the potential of a simpler process for tissue regeneration, the Circulation Research journal said.


    If additional studies confirm the approach in human cells, it could lead to a new way for treating people who suffer heart failure, which is often caused by scar tissue that develops after a heart attack.


    “This is a significant finding with many therapeutic implications. If you can do this in the heart, you can do it in the brain, the kidneys, and other tissues,” Victor J Dzau, who led the team, said.
    The researchers not only proved this concept in the laboratory, but also demonstrated that cell conversion could occur in a mouse. PTI