How To Repair Heart Damage

'Living drugs' to repair damaged heart tissue

Published: 29 September 2021

A heart attack handling that could increase longevity and quality of life for New Zealanders with eye affliction is the focus of new Heart Foundation funded research.

A new mode of repairing damaged center tissue with 'living drugs' could improve the length and quality of life for people who've had centre attacks.

Thousands of New Zealanders each year have heart attacks, often resulting in permanent heart impairment. Currently there is no way to regenerate the dead muscle tissue and over fourth dimension this can lead to heart failure and premature death.

One recent area of research has focused on 'EV therapy', a promising handling like to stem cell therapy. However, instead of using stem cells, EV therapy uses tiny particles, chosen nanoparticles, that are naturally produced in the body to regenerate expressionless heart tissue.

Now the Academy of Otago's Dr Xiaolin (Steven) Cui has received a three-twelvemonth Heart Foundation Inquiry Fellowship to investigate a new mode of delivering these nanoparticles, chosen extracellular vesicles (EVs), into the heart.

Information technology is office of a large multi-national research projection which involves bioengineers, polymer chemists, stem prison cell biologist, cardiac physiologists, and cardiologists working in New Zealand, China, Australia and the United States.

Gel patch to give treatment

"Currently in that location'southward no really practical way to administer EVs," Steven explains. "If you lot want to target delivery to the centre you take to practice open chest surgery. Another way is to inject through the vein, merely that reduces the effectiveness of the EVs on the centre. In improver, they also sometimes get to other organs, which makes them less beneficial. So, we are developing a very targeted delivery approach."

This innovative approach is to inject a liquid containing the EVs into the lining effectually the heart using a sparse tube, chosen a catheter. Low-cal volition exist shone onto the liquid, which so forms a gel patch on the surface of the damaged center tissue. The EVs volition then be released from the patch and help the damaged tissue regenerate.

"If it'southward successful, this handling could be given to people following a eye assail to cease them getting middle failure and consequence in longer lifetimes and better quality of life," says Steven. "We take conducted some early inquiry, showing great benefit."

Groundwork in stem cell therapy

Steven is thankful for the Heart Foundation support which he describes as an integral to quality cardiac research.

He became interested in EV therapy later earlier enquiry into stem prison cell therapy at the University of Adelaide in Australia and the Northward Carolina Land University in the Us.

"My background was in stem cells," he explains. "However, in that location are some very strict rules around using that treatment. So, I started instead to look at what makes stem jail cell therapy work and that'due south when I moved into EVs. Gradually we are starting to realise the importance of EVs."

Read more than enquiry stories

Source: https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/about-us/news/stories/living-drugs-to-repair-damaged-heart-tissue

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