July 26, 2010

A combination of nanotechnology and adult stem cells has been shown to destroy arterial plaque atherosclerosis in the hearts of pigs. Animals that received stem cells also showed signs of new blood vessel growth and restoration of artery function, according to the study reported at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2010 Scientific Sessions.

The study was conducted at the Department of Internal Medicine and Research Center of Regenerative Medicine, Ural State Medical Academy in Yekaterinburg, Russia. Nanoparticles were infused into the heart of pigs, along with adult stem cells, then heated by laser light until they burned away arterial plaque. The volume of plaque shrunk an average of 28.9 percent immediately after treatment across the three treatment groups, and six months later it had declined 56.8 percent on average. In the control group, plaque volume increased an average of 4.3 percent.

The study is published in issue 19(5) of Cell Transplantation and is now freely available on-line at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/ .

"Induced pluripotent stem cells have revolutionized cell reprogramming," said the study's lead author, Dr. Paul J. Verma. "One challenge is to find the most appropriate cell for reprogramming. Our study demonstrated that both neural stem cells (NSCs) and adipose tissue-derived cells (ADCs) from adult mice expressed genetic pluripotency and could differentiate into the three germ layers, endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. The ADCs were the most amenable to reprogramming."

July 25, 2010

Doctors are investigating whether patients with an irreversible heart condition can prolong their lives by having stem cells taken from their hip and injected into the damaged organ.

Experts at the Barts and the London Heart Attack Centre hope their work will lead to a major breakthrough for the UK's estimated 30,000 sufferers with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The rare condition causes the heart muscle wall to become thin and floppy, making the heart progressively less able to pump blood around the body. Drug treatment can be of limited benefit, and ultimately patients deteriorate to the extent that they will die unless they receive a new heart.