February Is American Heart Month: How Regenerative Medicine Affects Cardiology
Regenerative medicine has come a long way in the last several decades, especially in the last 15 years. One of the ways that regenerative medicine is being explored is with the field of cardiology. Stem cells are being used in a lot of innovative ways, although new technology still needs to be developed.
One of the ways that researchers are using stem cells is in rebuilding damaged tissue of the heart muscle after heart attacks and other damage to the heart. The stem cells can be made into blank cells that can take on the characteristics of the heart muscle cells around it, basically programmed to become those cells and generate new cells.
Another way that researchers are using stem cells in cardiology is by studying how to make new arteries and heart valves using scaffolding and stem cells. There have been a few successes in this avenue that make it seem more and more possible, although we are still a long way toward making it a commonplace treatment.
The hope is that eventually the scientists doing stem cell research will be able to grow an entire heart out of nothing but blood and stem cells. If they can do that, they will eliminate the need for heart donors for transplants. They may also be able to nullify the risk of rejection.
Of course, more research and studies are needed to determine just how far stem cells can take us in the field of cardiology. This research is constantly ongoing, and it is growing by leaps and bounds in recent years. It may not be long at all before stem cell therapy is regularly used in cardiological practices.
