Researchers have developed a way to improve cardiac repair and functioning in pigs after a heart attack by targeting scar tissue with a human platelet-derived growth factor. Their results were published in Science Translational Medicine on January 1.
After a heart attack, patients are usually treated with reperfusion, a technique that replenishes oxygen in heart tissue. But many people still go on to develop complications such as heart failure or sudden cardiac arrest due to damage that occurred during the attack, leading scientists to try to develop new treatment methods.
James Chong, a cardiologist at the University of Sydney, and colleagues are targeting the cardiac scar tissue left behind after an attack to mitigate damage. They previously showed that treating mice with recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor-AB (rhPDGF-AB) led to improvements such as activating connective tissue cells called fibroblasts, enhancing blood vessel formation, and speeding up a reduction in inflammation.
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