In the first such process on record, scientists at Kyoto University have surgically implanted lab-grown heart cells into a patient.
First, the research team harvested cells from the patient and regressed them to become “induced pluripotent stem cells” (IPSCs) by exposing them to a virus that transferred 24 selected genes into the cells.
The new genes reversed the cells’ age clocks, sending them back in time before they became differentiated into cells of a heart, eye, or another organ. At that stage, IPSCs can be chemically induced to develop into any specific kind of cell desired.
Kyoto’s novel process uses the IPSCs to create sheets holding about 100 million heart muscle cells. The sheets are grafted onto a damaged heart, where the new cells improve the heart’s ability to function normally. The cells also release biochemical growth factors to encourage the growth of healthy new heart cells.
After successful tests on pigs, the process was approved by the Japanese government for tests on humans, the first of which was conducted in November. The patient is said to be recovering with no major negative side effects.
The research team will monitor the patient’s progress through this year. Through 2023, the group plans to test a total of ten patients with hearts severely weakened by heart attacks or cardiovascular disease.
TRENDPOST: Kyoto’s breakthrough is the latest example of the power that stem cells bring to medical therapies.
Through this decade, researchers will perfect the techniques of harvesting a person’s cells and manipulating them to create new organs to replace damaged or diseased original equipment. The exception: the brain, which will yield its secrets slowly over at least the next two decades and possibly longer.
By 2040, the human healthspan could theoretically double as exhausted thoracic organs could be replaced, perhaps more than once, restoring youthful functions.
