While I was on vacation I missed a fascinating story about how scientists at Harvard University and Caltech have created an artificial jellyfish - termed a medusoid - using rat heart cells on a silicone matrix in order to demonstrate that it is possible to reverse-engineer a muscular pump, as described in this informative report on CBC News. This … Continue reading Understanding Cyborg Jellyfish
Tag: heart
Can stem cells repair broken hearts? Thanks to animal research we may soon find out!
On Monday – and appropriately perhaps just in time for St. Valentine’s day – a team of scientists at the Cedars Sinai Heart Institute led by Dr. Eduardo Marbán announced that in a small clinical trial they had repaired damaged heart tissue using an infusion stem cells derived from the heart attack patient’s own heart. … Continue reading Can stem cells repair broken hearts? Thanks to animal research we may soon find out!
Protecting a broken heart: the discovery of remote ischemic preconditioning.
After a couple of weeks dominated by dialogue with moderate animal rights activists, and subsequently the response of the scientific community to threats by animal rights extremists, it is refreshing to be able to turn again to an example of how research on rabbits and dogs is furthering medical progress. The prospects of surviving a … Continue reading Protecting a broken heart: the discovery of remote ischemic preconditioning.