Researchers are using stem cells to develop treatments that can help patients regrow tissue in a field called regenerative medicine. One of the latest breakthroughs in this field has come from researchers in the United States who used stem cells to regrow heart muscle tissue after a heart attack. These findings may help patients recover from heart attacks more easily.
In the study, lead authors Ying Zheng and Charles Murry explained the importance discovery: “To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that building organised blood vessels with perfusion outside the body leads to improved integration with host blood vessels and better tissue blood flow.”
The researchers believed that they could improve how stem cell derived tissue could be more-easily integrated with heart tissue by paying close attention the blood vessel construction. By looking at the mechanics of blood flow, they managed to create tissue that could be successfully transplanted.
As Dr. Zheng explained, “I come from a mechanical background, I love thinking about the dynamics of blood flow. Our whole bodies are vascularised. This network of vessels is dynamic and interconnected, like a transportation system that remodels itself all the time.”
After a heart attack occurs, heart tissue can become scarred, which reduces how well it functions. Researchers intend to use stem cells to repair or replace the damaged heart tissue to restore function.
The key challenge that researchers have faced is that transplanted heart muscle must not only survive and integrate with existing tissue — it must restore blood flow. This requires the creation of a functioning network of blood vessels.
The research team has managed to successfully create the necessary vascular networks in stem cell-derived heart tissue. This means the chances of successful heart tissue transplants is now greatly improved.
Source: In vitro grafts increase blood flow in infarcted rat hearts
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