New Strategy to Fix a Broken Heart: Scaffold Supports Stem Cell-Derived Cardiac Muscle Cells

Scientists at the University of Washington have created a heart scaffold that allows for angiogenesis and the proliferation of cardiac tissue in vivo.  The scaffold has been tested on rats and chickens proving its effectiveness.  Four weeks after implantation, both the rat and chicken bodies had accepted the scaffold and blood vessels had traveled deep into the scaffold.  UW scientists believe, eventually, the scaffold could be injected into the heart to help heal tissue damage before scar tissue forms.  They also believe the scaffold could potentially be able to generate a brand new heart in vitro.

This article interested me, because, up until now I was under the impression complex organs were too difficult to currently create with scaffolds due to their multifunctionality and their makeup of diverse cell types.  Although it will be some time before a human-safe scaffold is created, it is definitely something to look forward to and I believe it will happen within our generation given the rate of technological advancements in just the past decade.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100809171531.htm