Stem Cells and The Heart
- Heart
attacks and congestive heart failure remain among the most prominent health
challenges, despite many breakthroughs in cardiovascular medicine.
- The
destruction of heart muscle cells can be the result of hypertension, chronic
insufficiency in the blood supply to the heart muscle, the sudden closing
of a blood vessel supplying oxygen to the heart etc.
- Researchers
are working toward using stem cells to replace damaged heart cells and literally
restore cardiac function.
- Both
adult and embryonic stem cells are used in these studies.
- Experiments
done using rodents showed very encouraging results.
Mugur Roz