Injecting stem cells into heart muscle could repair and even renew damaged hearts. A team is exploring this revolutionary treatment.

‘Developments are occurring at a phenomenal pace, but it will be 10 years before we see benefits for heart patients. There are still many issues to resolve,’ says the project leader, Professor Stephen Hunyor.

Heart disease: a legacy of damage

Surviving a heart attack isn’t the end of the battle – heart muscle cells are always damaged. Thousands of Australians suffer the disabling effects not just of heart attack, but of stroke, heart failure and angina.

Drugs and pacing devices have greatly improved the quality of life for many. But these treatments are limited in promoting heart repair, and cannot replace dead muscle cells.

Breakthroughs in this research could lead to:

• restoring blood vessels in people with angina caused by blocked arteries
• renewing heart muscle in those with heart failure.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are cells that can self-renew, and can be coaxed to repair bone and tissue. They are present in many parts of the body, including adult skin, fat and bone marrow.

Hope for heart patients

Using stem cells from adult bone marrow, the team aims to promote the growth of heart muscle cells and blood vessels.

Their work includes harvesting cells and using markers to see where they go. The cells have been genetically modified by a US collaborator, for better survival within the damaged heart.

They have refined the techniques of delivering cells via the coronary arteries after a heart attack. They are now poised to use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to accurately measure the improvements in the heart’s function.