(Oral presentation, Room D162/164, Dallas Convention Center)
Stem cells derived from human heart tissue develop into
multicellular, spherical structures called cardiospheres that
express the normal properties of primitive heart tissue, smooth
muscle and blood vessel cells, according to a study by Johns
Hopkins researchers. In a related study, cells grown in the
laboratory from these cardiospheres and injected into the hearts
of mice following a lab-induced heart attack migrated straight
to damaged tissue and regenerated, improving the organ's ability
to pump blood throughout the animal's body. Results from both
studies are to be presented Nov. 14 at the American Heart
Association's annual Scientific Sessions in Dallas. "The
findings could potentially offer patients use of their own stem
cells to repair heart tissue soon after a heart attack, or to
regenerate weakened muscle resulting from heart failure, perhaps
averting the need for heart transplants," says Eduardo Marbán,
M.D., Ph.D., senior author of both s