(Aug. 5) -- Heart transplants could one day be a thing of the past, as scientists are reporting the first steps toward fixing broken hearts with the body's own cells.
Two studies released this week offer exciting glimpses into the future of regenerative medicine. One transforms ordinary cells into more complex cells that form beating heart muscle, and another blocks two genes that suppress cell proliferation. Surge Desk reviews the respective breakthroughs and their implications for future treatment:
Reprogramming the Heart to Heal Itself
Researchers at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease at the University of California, San Francisco, used three genes to convert fibroblasts -- basic cells that can be reprogrammed using genetic manipulation -- into beating muscle cells.
Fibroblasts already comprise about half the heart's cells, meaning a non-invasive drug approach that triggered the right genes could allow the heart to repair itself.
After injecting the manipulated cells into mice, researchers saw them transform into functional, beating muscle cells in two weeks.
"It points to a whole new way of potentially doing therapy," Chad Cowan, an expert in regenerative biology at Harvard, told Bloomberg. "This gives you the idea that you can take those fibroblasts, re-educate them to become heart muscle and thereby repair someone's heart."
Reining-in Growth Genes
The second study, out of Stanford University and published in Cell Stem Cell, compared the genes of mice to those of newts -- renowned for their regenerative capabilities.
"Newts regenerate tissues very effectively," Helen Blau, a co-author on the study, told Reuters."In contrast, mammals are pathetic. We can regenerate our livers, and that's about it."
After finding two genes that seem to suppress tumor growth in mammals, researchers speculated that the genes were an evolutionary adaptation that help mammals stave off cancer. The price we pay? Limited ability to regenerate cells.
When they blocked the genes in the heart tissue of mice, cells started to divide and proliferate. That kind of process, uncontrolled, would lead to tumors. If scientists can rein it in, it would allow our organs to regenerate following damage.
The Promise of Both Studies
The results of both studies are good news for the 5 million Americans suffering from heart failure. Heart disease is, after all, still the leading cause of death in the country.
And beyond hearts, the studies also suggest the prospect of repairing other organs using similar mechanisms, rather than transplants, implants or other artificial devices.
Regenerative Medicine to Repair Broken Hearts
