“Latest Stem Cells News”

Scientists have for the first time succeeded in extracting vital stem cells from sections of vein removed for heart bypass surgery. Researchers funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) found that these stem cells can stimulate new blood vessels to grow, which could potentially help repair damaged heart muscle after a heart attack.

The research, by Paolo Madeddu, Professor of Experimental Cardiovascluar Medicine and his team in the Bristol Heart Institute (BHI) at the University of Bristol, is published in the leading journal Circulation.

A University of Bristol team extracted stem cells from the veins, then used them to stimulate new blood vessel growth in mice, Circulation reports.

The researchers say their findings could bring treatments to repair damaged heart muscle one step closer.

However, a stem cell expert warned that they remained some years away.

Stem cells are attractive to medical researchers because they have the ability to produce many different types of human cell, opening up the possibility of repair or renewal for tissues ravaged by disease or injury (…)

Colin McGuckin, professor of regenerative medicine at the University of Newcastle and adult stem cell expert has said that government funding goes mostly to embryonic stem cells despite the fact that his work gives immediate practical results.

He has also complained that the university is not able to provide him with adequate structures to carry out his research, adding, “There aren’t many people in the city that know that there is research on adult stem cells.”

The professor, who is a Catholic, is a pioneer in umbilical cord stem cells research, with a study that creates tissue for skin and liver injuries.