New Heart Muscles Grow From Old Skin Cells

cardiac stem cells
Israeli researchers have succeeded in gathering skin cells from patients with heart failure and convincing them to transform into fully functional and young heart cells. A skin cell is reprogrammed into a stem cell by means of adding three genes and some acid, and those stem cells can differentiate into many things, including heart tissue. At this stage the new heart tissue was introduced to the existing tissue in a petri dish, two of which started to beat in sync in a few days, and afterwards that tissue was successfully implanted into living rat hearts. There are about another 15 years before this may be considered in treatment of humans, however that might be the beginning of something big.
Via: dvice.com