Patch 'heals' broken heart
A NEW kind of "patch" that can mend a broken heart has been successfully tested by scientists.
The tissue-engineering technique, which uses the body as a "bioreactor", may in future be used to repair damage caused by heart attacks.
Cells lost from the heart do not grow back naturally, leaving the organ in a weakened and vulnerable state.
Researchers in Israel demonstrated the new patch in rats with injured hearts. It was grown from cells
and after seven days the patch was removed and grafted on to the animal's heart.
A month later the patch had completely integrated itself into the heart, synchronising its "beat" with that of the surrounding tissue.
The researchis reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Monday 13 February 2012
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