Investigators at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute have devised a new approach to delivering stem cells right where they are needed, raising the possibility of success for treating damaged cardiac tissue.
In earlier projects investigators have had little success with injecting human mesenchymal stem cells--which are extracted from bone--into the heart muscle or blood stream. The stem cells typically don't attach where they're needed or don't hit their target.
But lead author Glenn Gaudette and George Pins created a biopolymer microthread made of fibrin. The stem cells were seeded on the thread and then attached to a surgical needle and sewed onto a gel mimicking human tissue. And by stitching the cells right where they're needed, the investigators believe they are on track to resolving the thorny delivery issue.
"We're pleased with the progress of this work," said Gaudette. "This technology is developing into a potentially powerful system for delivering therapeutic cells right to where they are needed, whether that's a damaged heart or other tissues." In the next step Gaudette and his colleagues will try the technology on a rat model to see if it can work as planned in living tissue.
- read the report from the Science Blog
- here's the story from Daily Tech