Cells in heart can regenerate dead tissue
By Ben Harder
Stem cells in parts of the heart that have survived a heart attack can be prodded to regenerate tissue that was killed by the attack, recent experiments suggest. Doctors ultimately might use a battery of stem cell–stimulating molecules “to limit the devastating effects of heart failure,” says Piero Anversa of New York Medical College in Valhalla.
The condition called heart failure can develop after a nonfatal heart attack kills portions of the organ’s muscle. Drugs can sustain the injured heart for a time, but many patients eventually die or require a transplant.