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According to British researchers, a patch of healing and pumping could be the secret to repairing a "broken" heart.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) said the patch could provide a tailored treatment for people who have had a heart attack.
Developed in the laboratory, the 3 cm by 2 cm patch is developed from the patient's cells, which are then converted into stem cells.
Extremely adaptable, stem cells can transform into other types of cells and replicate more. Once sewn into the patient's heart, the patch will eventually become part of it.
It is designed to physically support muscles damaged by a heart attack and help the heart to pump more efficiently. The patch also releases chemicals to help regenerate existing cells.
Researchers at the British Heart Foundation's Center for Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine, part of Imperial College London, claim that one or more patches could be implanted in a patient's heart to prevent or repair the damage.
The tests on humans are expected to begin in the next two years after the success of the tests on rabbits, doctors said at a conference Monday night.
Professor Metin Avkiran, associate medical director at BHF, said the research had "the potential to repair broken hearts and transform lives around the world".
"If clinical trials can show the benefits of these cardiac patches in people after a heart attack, that would be a big step forward for regenerative medicine."
Condition "changing life"
Heart attacks occur when blood flow to the organ is disrupted by arterial blockage. Without blood, the heart is deprived of oxygen and essential nutrients, killing some of the muscle.
More people than ever survive heart attacks – about 1.4 million people in the UK today, according to the BHF.
However, the damage to the muscles weakens the heart and makes daily tasks such as climbing stairs or cluttering clothes.
The damage can also lead to heart failure, for which there is no treatment. It is hoped that new research will improve the quality of life of survivors of a heart attack and offset their risk of heart failure.
According to Dr. Richard Jabbour, researcher and cardiologist at the British Heart Foundation, the patch may contain about 20 m of stem cells, with a potential of up to 50 m.
"In heart failure, there is a huge amount of lost cells.I think that about 1 billion cells are lost after a heart attack.If you want to try to restore or regenerate the heart, you need an adequate number of cells, "he told Al Jazeera.
Laboratory tests showed that the patches started to beat after three days and mimic mature heart tissue in one month.
In animals, the blood vessels of the heart may have developed in the patches and an improvement in cardiac function has been observed.
The patches were developed in response to disappointing results from worldwide experiments in which stem cells were directly injected into the damaged heart muscle.
Without a fixed patch, stem cells are rapidly cleared from the heart and can not affect significant levels of repair.
The ultimate goal is to have a stock of prefabricated patches compatible with all patients so that a person suffering a heart attack can quickly implement it.
Charlotte Mitchell Supplementary Report
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