wkmac
Well-Known Member
During the last few years medical research has made leaps and bounds towards finding a solution to repairing scarred heart tissue. Most notably, stem cells taken from a patient’s own heart have proven a promising way to repair the damage.
An even more recent and promising breakthrough is today’s Human Achievement. Hydrogel is an injectable solution made out of cardiac connective tissue that has been cleansed of its heart muscle cells. The solution is freeze-dried and made into a powder that can be injected through a catheter directly into a person’s heart.
The hydrogel is made of cardiac connective tissue. The connective tissue is eliminated of its heart muscle cells through a cleansing process, and then it is freeze-dried and milled into a powder-like material. The powder is then made into a fluid that can be injected directly into the heart tissue.
The researchers from the University of California-San Diego who developed this treatment noted that when it was injected into the hearts of pigs with heart damage, it turned into a semi-solid gel that provided a “scaffold” for new tissue growth and improved the pigs’ condition. And perhaps the best part about Hydrogel is that it can be inserted through a catheter into the heart without surgery.
Human Achievement of the Day: Heart Gel Repairs Damage