Stem cell 'homing' signal may help treat heart failure patients
Thursday, February 21, 2013 - 21:30
in Health & Medicine
In the first human study of its kind, researchers activated heart failure patients' stem cells with gene therapy to improve their symptoms, heart function and quality of life. Rather than use multiple procedures to remove, multiply, then re-insert cells, scientists injected a treatment that signals stems cells to come to injured tissue to repair it -- like a homing signal. Researchers are conducting a larger trial.