Key points from article :
Japanese researchers from Shinshu University are developing a new heart regeneration therapy using stem cells to treat heart attack damage.
The method involves injecting "cardiac spheroids" (clusters of heart muscle cells derived from stem cells) into the damaged heart area.
Researchers derived heart muscle cells from human stem cells, formed them into spheroids, and injected them into monkeys with heart damage.
The transplanted cells successfully integrated into the monkeys' hearts, improved heart function, and caused very few arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats).
The cardiac spheroid method is easier to transport and implement than other stem cell techniques, making it a promising treatment.
The positive results in monkeys have cleared the way for human clinical trials (called the LAPiS trial), which are already underway for patients with heart disease.
The study is published in the journal Circulation.
