Stem Cells Used To Repair Damaged Heart Tissue
June 23, 2007 by Kendra James, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
How do you get around that very ethical debate of using stem cells from embryonic tissue? Well, how about using your own. This application of stem cell transplants is currently being researched in diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. And we can now add damaged heart tissue to the list…
British scientists are to try out a new way to repair damage caused by heart attacks. By injecting patients’ damaged hearts with stem cells from their own bone marrow scientists hope to regenerate tissue.
Researchers are hoping that this pioneering project will put them one step closer to using stem cells to routinely treat damaged heart tissue.
“One in three people will die within two or three years and the remaining people will have a very poor quality of life,” said Dr Ascione. “Your exercise tolerance will be very poor, you will not to be able to enjoy your life. If this [experiment] works you will minimize this … the point of this trial is to do the bypass and try to repair the scar, to make it a viable muscle again.”
What a remarkable thought for post heart attack and cardiac patients. The future holds such promise. What do you think about using stem cells to treat diseased tissue? Are you for or against it? Does it matter to you where the stem cells are harvested from?
