A Weapon Against Heart Disease?

British researchers believe they've found a means to fight heart disease by unlocking the heart's own ability to heal itself. From The Independent:

"Millions of people suffering from heart disease have been given new hope by research which shows that damaged organs may be capable of healing themselves.

"A team of scientists at the Institute of Child Health in London have discovered that cells in the outermost layer of the heart can be stimulated to move deeper inside the heart muscle and, once there, help to repair a failing organ.

"The discovery could lead to injections being given into the bloodstream or, in emergency cases, directly into the heart muscle itself. So far the technique has only been tested on rats and mice but, if it is proved to work in humans, it could be developed into a treatment in "years rather than decades", according to Paul Riley, who led the study.

"Dr Riley, of the ICH, said: 'Our research has shown that blood vessel regeneration is possible in the adult heart. In the future ... there could be potential for therapy based on the patients' own heart cells.'

"The team have found that cells in the outer layer of the heart are similar to stem cells, and have the capacity to develop into any kind of new tissue or structure in the heart. Called progenitor cells, they can be stimulated by a protein, Thymosin-beta4, to move into the heart muscle and form new blood vessels. With new blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients, the damaged heart muscle can grow new tissue and repair itself."

"Dr Riley said: 'To investigate whether Thymosin-beta4 could have a therapeutic effect on damaged adult hearts, my research team took cells from the outermost layer of adult mouse hearts and grew them in the lab. We found that, when treated with Thymosin-beta4, these adult cells have as much potential as embryonic cells to create healthy heart tissue. This suggests that Thymosin-beta4 could have a therapeutic use.'"