by Ilan Gattegno
By injecting adult mice that survived heart attacks with the protein agrin, Weizmann Institute researchers "unlock" process in which heart tissue repairs itself
A diagram of the human heart
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Photo credit: National Institutes of Health  |
In groundbreaking research, scientists at
Israel's Weizmann Institute have discovered a unique protein found in
newborn vertebrates that could potentially be used to repair damaged
human heart tissue.
The researchers identified a protein called
agrin, which is expressed during embryonic development but stops shortly
after birth. In the study, the scientists injected the protein from
newborn mice into the hearts of adult mice that had suffered heart
attacks, and the protein appeared to "unlock" a regenerative process
that allowed the heart muscle tissue to repair itself.
It remains to be seen whether the protein has the same effect on humans.
Professor Eldad Tzahor led the team of
researchers and students from the Molecular Cell Biology Department who
worked on the study, which was published this week in the journal
Nature.
Tzahor said that the renewal of heart tissue
in adults is a known phenomenon among some vertebrates. Fish, for
example, in effect regenerate damaged hearts. Animals that are
evolutionarily closer to humans, such as mice, are born with that
ability, but lose it approximately a week after birth.
The team hopes that continued research will lead to "heartwarming" results.
Ilan Gattegno
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=43021
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