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.
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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.