Adult Bone Marrow Stem Cells Injected Into Skeletal Muscle Can Repair Heart Tissue

Science Daily reports that researchers at the University at Buffalo have demonstrated that injecting adult bone marrow stem cells into skeletal muscle can repair cardiac tissue and reverse heart failure. The study, performed on an animal, showed that this non-invasive procedure increased the number of heart cells two-fold and reduced cardiac tissue injury by 60 percent. It also showed an improved function of the left ventricle, the heart’s primary pumping chamber, by 40%, and reduced fibrosis, the hardening of the heart lining that impairs its ability to contract, by 50%. The novel method of delivering mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) via an intramuscular route is preferable over clinical trials which have focused more often on invasive procedures such as introducing stem cells directly into the heart. These methods carry more risks and can result in harmful scar tissue, arrhythmia, calcification or small vessel blockages. "For these reasons, and because patients with heart failure

View Full Story