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New iPS cells show potential in mice

ORDINARY cells reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells can help repair damaged heart tissue in mice, researchers in the United States reported on Monday in a study that shows a potential practical use for the experimental cells.

When injected into mice whose hearts had been damaged by a heart attack, the new cells helped improve both the structure and function of the heart. Eventually the hope would be to patch up seriously ill heart patients using their own cells.

"It was obvious to the observer which animals had been treated and which ones hadn't," said Dr Timothy Nelson of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, whose study appears in the journal Circulation.

The team used a promising new type of embryonic-like stem cell called an induced pluripotent stem cell, or iPS cell, made from ordinary cells. Many teams use this technology to look for ways to repair the body, a fast-growing field of research known as regenerative medicine.



 

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