Patch Uses Stem Cells To Plug Holes in The Heart
They say only time heals a broken heart, but Duke University researchers think they can do better. Using embryonic stem cells from mice and their own novel molding technique, a team of researchers at Duke has developed a three-dimensional heart cell “patch” that conducts electrical impulses and contracts, two all important characteristics of heart tissue. Cardiomyocytes, the heart muscle cells that keep the blood pumping, are difficult to grow effectively because left to their own devices, they will simply develop into a disorganized clump of cells. To get around this, the team coaxed embryonic stem cells to develop into cardiomyocytes by placing them in an environment much like the one in which they develop naturally. By encapsulating the cells in a gel made of fibrin, a blood-clotting protein, the researchers provided the mechanical support for the cells to form an organized, three-dimensional structure. But the key...