Heart Attack Patch
Stanford Research May Lead to Development of Patch to Heal Heart Attack Damage
There is obviously immediate danger in a heart attack and it is important that it is attended to on an emergency basis. However, what most people do not know is that the part of the heart that is deprived of blood supply may have suffered irreversible damage. Scar tissue is formed.
The Stanford University Study on Reversing Heart Attack Damage
It has been known for some time that after a heart attack, some heart tissue may be essentially dead, which makes the heart less effective, increasing the risk of future cardiovascular events. Some innovative research has been done to try to reverse this damage so the heart can get out of this vicious cycle. This particular …show more content…
The key to this research is a protein called Follistatin-like 1 (FSLT1). Earlier research done on this protein has suggested that it can help in building muscle and blood vessels. Interestingly enough, that research is about 7-years old, done at the Boston University School of Medicine. This Stanford University experiment seems to have taken that forward enough to a point where human trials may be possible in 2017.
What the Patch Does
The protein FSLT1 is put on a patch, which is then attached to the heart. In this experiment, the results were visible within a month with new blood vessels forming. In Zebra fish, a layer surrounding the heart called the Epicardium facilitates the creation of new cardiac muscle cells and blood vessels. The Stanford University research team were looking to find out exactly how that happened and what made it happen.
This patch may not be available for several years, however, heart attack survivors and their doctors can look to find out how much damage has been suffered by the heart tissue, and recommendations can be made on how it can be reversed or controlled using current medication. Just understanding that there is heart tissue damage can help the patient understand the situation. New medicines are being approved by the FDA in the battle against heart disease, so there may be alternatives until this patch comes into use against heart attack
There is obviously immediate danger in a heart attack and it is important that it is attended to on an emergency basis. However, what most people do not know is that the part of the heart that is deprived of blood supply may have suffered irreversible damage. Scar tissue is formed.
The Stanford University Study on Reversing Heart Attack Damage
It has been known for some time that after a heart attack, some heart tissue may be essentially dead, which makes the heart less effective, increasing the risk of future cardiovascular events. Some innovative research has been done to try to reverse this damage so the heart can get out of this vicious cycle. This particular …show more content…
The key to this research is a protein called Follistatin-like 1 (FSLT1). Earlier research done on this protein has suggested that it can help in building muscle and blood vessels. Interestingly enough, that research is about 7-years old, done at the Boston University School of Medicine. This Stanford University experiment seems to have taken that forward enough to a point where human trials may be possible in 2017.
What the Patch Does
The protein FSLT1 is put on a patch, which is then attached to the heart. In this experiment, the results were visible within a month with new blood vessels forming. In Zebra fish, a layer surrounding the heart called the Epicardium facilitates the creation of new cardiac muscle cells and blood vessels. The Stanford University research team were looking to find out exactly how that happened and what made it happen.
This patch may not be available for several years, however, heart attack survivors and their doctors can look to find out how much damage has been suffered by the heart tissue, and recommendations can be made on how it can be reversed or controlled using current medication. Just understanding that there is heart tissue damage can help the patient understand the situation. New medicines are being approved by the FDA in the battle against heart disease, so there may be alternatives until this patch comes into use against heart attack