Researchers have announced a scientific breakthrough for patients with advanced heart failure, revealing the potential to 'patch' damaged hearts using muscle chips to enhance cardiac function.
According to a recent study, over 64 million people worldwide suffer from heart failure due to conditions such as heart attacks, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease.
With a shortage of available organs for heart transplants and the high costs and complications associated with artificial heart pumps, this innovative approach provides new hope for patients.
Scientists have developed implantable chips made from pulsating heart muscle cells, which can help the heart contract more effectively.
Professor Ingo Kochka, a co-author of the study from the University Medical Center Göttingen in Germany, stated, 'For the first time, we have a biological chip grown in the lab that has the ability to stabilize (improve heart function and prevent deterioration) and strengthen heart muscle.'
These chips are created from cells taken from blood, which are 'reprogrammed' to function as stem cells, allowing them to transform into any cell type in the body.
In the case of the chips, these cells are converted into heart muscle cells and connective tissue. They are then cultivated in collagen gel and grown in specially designed molds, fixed onto a membrane measuring 5 cm x 10 cm for human use.
Professor Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann, another co-author, noted that the muscles in these chips exhibit characteristics similar to a heart aged 4 to 8 years. He added, 'We are implanting young muscles in patients suffering from heart failure.'
This development is significant because injecting heart muscle cells directly into the heart can lead to tumor growth or arrhythmias, which can be fatal. In contrast, the chips allow for the management of a larger number of heart muscle cells while reducing risks.
In experiments conducted on macaque monkeys, researchers observed no signs of arrhythmias, tumor formation, or severe side effects. They also noted an increase in heart wall thickness six months after chip implantation.
The chips were also tested on monkeys with a condition similar to chronic heart failure, where improvements in heart function were observed.
In a human case, this technique was applied to a 46-year-old woman with advanced heart failure. After three months of implantation, the patient remained stable, and the team analyzed her heart following a new heart transplant, finding that the chips were successful and supplied with blood.
While using donor cells requires immunosuppression, researchers believe that manufacturing chips from the patient's own cells would be costly and time-consuming. Donor cells also allow for the production of ready-to-use chips and better safety testing.
Kochka stated, 'We hope that our ongoing clinical trials will demonstrate that these chips can improve heart function in patients.'