Scientists manage to regenerate and heal hearts mouse who … – RTVE

Reuters

Scientists Salk Institute of California and the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona found the key to repair damaged hearts, when mice , an investigation whose results published in the journal Cell Stem Cell .

The team – Doctor in Biochemistry and Pharmacology, Juan Carlos Izpisúa leads the Salk Institute- is regenerating and healing infarcted hearts of mice by reactivating the molecular machinery present in cardiac cells.

They’ve got four molecules blocking that are able to inhibit regeneration programs organ, which opens the door to new treatments for heart disease.

cardiac regeneration in mammals

The Hospital Clínic of Barcelona participated in this international project Through Dr. Josep M. Campistol, who explained. “This study has demonstrated the mechanisms responsible for cardiac regeneration in adult mammals are”

From the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, ​​in collaboration with Izpisúa, raises the translation of these results to patients with severe and irreversible heart .

“We know that these types of studies require time and many stages, but these results place us in a unprecedented scenario. Further work, “commented.

Research suggests that while adult mammals are unable to regenerate, as a rule, damaged tissues, these may retain a latent ability that is present during embryonic development , just as they do lower organisms in the evolutionary scale.

The organ regeneration, a mystery

In a statement from the Hospital Clínic, Juan Carlos Izpisúa notes that “organ regeneration is a fascinating process that recapitulates the processes observed during development.”

“Still,” he adds, “despite knowing how embryogenesis occurs and the fact that the information to generate each organ is unequivocally present in the mammalian genome, the mechanisms that cause organ regeneration in adult mammals remain unclear . “

The group Izpisúa, which collaborates Campistol, has long been trying to find out what the elements that control and trigger the regeneration agencies that are capable of carrying out this process.

Research since 2003

Thus, the laboratory Izpisúa pioneered identify many essential molecules that define vertebrate development.

Back in 2003 The group identified the signals responsible for heart regeneration in zebrafish and in 2010 described a Writing in the journal Nature how to carry out his feedback.

The study revealed that cardiac cells are capable of becoming, like precursor cells more immature cells heart, allowing them to multiply and regenerate damaged tissue.

Previous studies have attempted to elucidate the molecular keys responsible for the proliferation of cardiac cells in hearts of newborn mammals.

Study RNA

“For this work we have focused on the results obtained with zebrafish and have thought that if they know how to regenerate tissue, should be something we can teach, “said Aitor Aguirre, one of the project scientists.

The researchers decided to focus on the study of microRNAs , short fragments of RNA that control expression of many genes, injected an adenovirus to infect heart cells blocking microRNAs and found that caused a regeneration of these cells with consequent improved physical and functional aspects of the heart , as the thickness of the walls and the ability to pump blood.

caused by myocardial scar was also reduced after treatment with these inhibitors. The next step that arise scientists now is to move to other animals commonly used in preclinical studies and check regenerative reprogramming can function in these animals.