Source: Boston Globe
Posted: November 23, 2006
Summary:
A team of Harvard scientists announced the discovery of a single kind of cell that builds the three main types of heart tissue, an advance that boosts the prospects of using cells to treat heart disease, the nation's top killer. The team identified the heart cell in mice, and proved that it develops into the muscle cells that power the heart, the cells that make up blood vessels, and the smooth muscle cells that allow the vessels to expand and contract. If the human equivalent of the new cells is found, it could be given to patients to rebuild heart tissue that cannot be repaired today. The work could also give biologists new tools to look for heart drugs.
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