By Paul Sims
The lives of heart attack patients could be saved or extended after scientists discovered how blood vessels could be repaired using stem cells.
They have devised a way of harvesting the cells and stimulating the growth of new arteries.
The breakthrough offers hope to the 28,000 patients who need bypass surgery every year as well as thousands of other patients with heart problems.
A heart attack occurs when the coronary artery taking blood to the heart’s muscles becomes blocked or damaged.
It is hoped that injections of stem cells could one day be used to repair the arteries, both independently and to complement the work done in bypass surgery. Read more…
