Finding a Master Heart Cell: Scientists have identified a cardiac stem cell that could be the basis for new heart therapies

Source: Time
Posted: November 22, 2006

Summary:

Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital report that they have identified a similar mother stem cell from which most heart cells arise. Working with mice, the scientists isolated a cardiac stem cell that generates the three major cell types of the mammalian heart, while another group at the hospital found a stem cell that gives rise to the contracting and smooth muscle cells found in heart vessel walls. The findings could provide a basis for the development of new heart therapies, and become a source of healthy, replacement cells for heart tissue damaged after a heart attack or by heart disease.