beating heart cells,
using a technique similar to
the astonishing powers of regeneration of
animals like salamanders.
They said their revolutionary new method was a
significant step towards the day when coronary
and Alzheimer’s patients can be treated with
their own reprogrammed tissue.
Human skin cells were turned into stem cells –
which can form any kind of tissue in the body –
using a cocktail of chemicals. Another mix of
chemicals was then used to transform them into
heart cells, according to a study reported in the
journal Science .
More than 97 per cent of the cells start beating
and when they were transplanted into a mouse’s
heart, they developed into healthy-looking heart
tissue.
In a separate study, reported in the journal Cell
Stem Cell, the scientists turned mouse skin into
brain stem cells using a similar technique.
Dr Sheng Ding, of the San Francisco-based
Gladstone Institutes research centre, who led
the study, said: “This method brings us closer
to being able to generate new cells at the site
of injury in patients.
“Our hope is to one day treat diseases like heart
failure or Parkinson's disease with drugs that
help the heart and brain regenerate damaged
areas from their own existing tissue cells.
“This process is much closer to the natural
regeneration that happens in animals like newts
and salamanders, which has long fascinated
us.”
Previously, scientists had managed to
reprogram cells but only by adding external
genes to the cells.
Genetic engineering of human cells remains
controversial and the Gladstone researchers
believe their method is a more efficient and
reliable method of creating new cells to replace
damaged tissue.
“The ultimate goal in treating heart failure is a
robust, reliable way for the heart to create new
muscle cells,” said Dr Deepak Srivastava, a co-
author of the Science paper.
“Reprogramming a patient's own cells could
provide the safest and most efficient way to
regenerate dying or diseased heart muscle.”
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