Injection Regenerates Heart Tissue after Heart Attack

In a recent study conducted on mice, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston have found that injecting a growth protein after a heart attack encouraged the regrowth of injured heart tissue and helped recover cardiac function. The protein, neuregulin 1 (NRG1), is vital for the normal development of the heart and nervous system. When a heart attack occurs, heart muscle can be permanently damaged or die when blood vessels are blocked and oxygen cannot reach the heart. Until now, doctors have been unsuccessful in finding a way to repair or help regrow injured heart tissue after a heart attack. The NRG1 has been able to restart the division and reproduction of cells in the heart, which usually stops after birth.

For the study, researchers led by Dr. Bernhard Kuhn and Kevin Bersell of Children’s Hospital Boston’s cardiology department did a daily injection of the protein for three months into mice who had suffered a heart attack. The experts found that the mice injected with NRG1 had increased heart regeneration and improved pumping compared with mice that were not given the injection. The mice that were given the injection also exhibited fewer common consequences that follow a heart attack. The study, which was published in Cell, shows progress in experts’ ability to regenerate heart tissue following heart attack or failure.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. The disease can cause heart attack and angina, which is chest pain that occurs when an insufficient amount of oxygen-rich blood reaches the heart. According to the American Heart Association, about 1,260,000 new and recurrent heart attacks occur year, with about 37 percent of people who experience a heart attack in a given year dying as a result. If you or a loved one has had a heart attack and have questions about the quality of the medical care received, please contact Silberstein, Awad & Miklos P.C. answers. Our experienced attorneys have been helping clients in with Manhattan malpractice, Brooklyn malpractice, Bronx malpractice, Queens malpractice, Nassau malpractice and Suffolk malpractice cases. Together we will continue our fight against FRIVOLOUS and DECEPTIVE DEFENSES.

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