According to a study published in the Nature Partner Journal, Regenerative Medicine, stem cells transplanted into an injured heart have the ability to repair damaged tissue and improve heart function. Ischemic heart disease, caused by diminished blood flow to the heart, is the most common cause of death worldwide.

The study developed a new protocol for producing heart muscle precursor cells using pluripotent or immature stem cells. They injected these precursor cells into the area of the heart damaged by myocardial infarction and found that they could grow into new heart muscle cells.

Previous studies have shown that transplanting beating heart cells into the damaged area of the heart leads to ventricular arrhythmia. Hence, the researchers transplanted non-beating heart cells into the damaged heart in the study. After the transplantation, the cells expanded and acquired a rhythm similar to the rest of the heart.

They also observed that after transplanting non-beating heart cells, the incidence of arrhythmias was cut by half.

(Source:https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=1088393 )