Human heart culture

Scientists are cultivating human hearts in the laboratory. This research can bring hope to millions of people with cardiovascular disease worldwide.

Heart transplant patients now have to use lifelong drugs to fight the immune system of the transplanted cardiomyopathy. This can increase the risk of high blood pressure, kidney failure and diabetes. This risk can be avoided, if the human heart transplant method is successful.

The process of creating artificial heart cultures.

Scientists at the University of Minnesota (USA) conducted experiments on the heart of the dead. This heart is removed from the heart muscle cells. The team then injected the patient's heart stem cells into the heart 'frame' that had been removed from the muscle cells for culture. After this heart works, it will be inserted into the heart patient's body.

Previously, the University of Minnesota team had successfully cultivated the artificial heart of mice and pigs in this way. However, these hearts are so weak that they cannot be implanted into animals.

Now the laboratory of human heart in the laboratory is progressing quite well. The team believes that these artificial hearts could start beating in the next few weeks. If successful, this will be a premise to cultivate other internal organs such as liver, lungs or kidneys in the future.

' The hearts are developing very well and we expect them to start operating in the next few weeks. However, there are still many obstacles to overcome in order to create a heart that functions as a normal heart , "said Dr Doris Taylor, head of the study.