November 15, 2006

expert in cardiovascular science reacts to Nature paper on heart repair mechanism

Scientists at University College London (UCL) have published a study showing how ‘progenitor cells’ from the outer layers of the heart can migrate inside to repair tissue following a hear attack.

Professor John Martin, BHF Professor of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, said:

“Early attempts to induce new blood vessel growth in the damaged heart failed because of lack of understanding of the basic biology of the heart. The discovery of the role of Tbeta4 in cardiac repair offers the possibility of a new start in this field.”