In a rat model of myocardial infarction, transplanted human umbilical cord blood cells improved heart function

by rss feed | Mar 10, 2014 | Heart Disease, News Feeds

When human umbilical cord blood cells were transplanted into rats that had undergone a simulated myocardial infarction (MI), researchers investigating the long term effects of the transplantation found that left ventricular (LV) heart function in the treated rats was...

Important step towards pharmaceutical-based therapies that regenerate heart muscle

by rss feed | Feb 24, 2014 | Heart Disease, News Feeds

The power of regenerative medicine appears to have turned science fiction into scientific reality – by allowing scientists to transform skin cells into cells that closely resemble beating heart cells. However, the methods required are complex, and the...

Even before they can pump blood, baby hearts need rhythm

by rss feed | Feb 19, 2014 | Heart Disease, News Feeds

A study published in the journal Biomaterials finds that the rhythmic pulsation of cardiac muscle cells is a driving force in the initial formation of heart valves.The heart forms as a simple U-shaped tube of tissue, comprised of three layers.A layer of cardiac muscle...

Human engineered cardiac tissue may prove reliable as an in vitro surrogate for human myocardium and for preclinical therapeutic screenings

by rss feed | Feb 3, 2014 | Heart Disease, News Feeds

When it comes to finding cures for heart disease scientists are working to their own beat. That’s because they may have finally developed a tissue model for the human heart that can bridge the gap between animal models and human patients. These models exist for...