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Gel that repairs heart attack damage could improve health of millions
- isaacfrond 4y agotl;dr Researchers have developed a biodegradable gel to repair damage caused by a heart attack. The gel can be injected directly into the beating heart – effectively working as a scaffold to help injected cells grow new tissue. Until now, when cells have been injected into the heart to reduce the risk of heart failure, only 1% have stayed in place and survived. But the gel can hold them in place as they graft on to the heart. The safety of the gel was confirmed on mice. To gain more knowledge, researchers will test the gel after mice have a heart attack to show they develop new muscle tissue.