The Laboratory of Experimental and Cellular Medicine at MIPT has developed a unique biological “patch” that can regulate heart rhythm. The size of this cell patch is only 1 square meter. cm consists of polymer fibers and a single layer of cells that can act as a pacemaker to regulate heart rate. The technology is currently being tested on animals, according to the institute’s website.
Pacemakers are cells that control the heart’s rhythm. When they fail due to disease, patients are forced to implant artificial pacemakers (pacemakers), which requires surgery. Replacing a pacemaker requires new surgeries, and repeat surgery may be needed after 10 years. According to the head of the laboratory, Valeria Tsvelova, such interventions do not always guarantee success, and the operation can lead to rejection of the device.
MIPT’s new technique eliminates the use of stem cell injections, which can cause inflammation and tissue damage. Instead, the scientists placed the pacemaker cells on a biopolymer film that “sticks” tightly to the heart tissue. In tests on laboratory animals, scientists checked how the cellular patch stimulated heart rate and recorded positive results. In the future, they plan to perform a series of operations on animals and then apply the technique to the human heart to adjust the rhythm with high precision.
Source: Ferra
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