Human iPS Cells Restore Cardiac Function in Monkeys

   Tokyo, April 26 (Jiji Press)--The heart function of crab-eating macaques that had experienced heart attacks returned after transplants of clusters of heart muscle cells made from human induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells, a Japanese research team said Friday.
   According to the team, which includes researchers from Shinshu University, the transplant side-effect of irregular pulse was less frequent than in other research conducted in the past.
   The team observed a group of macaques that underwent transplants of large amounts of iPS-derived cardiomyocytes and another group given small amounts. The team also compared results with a group given saline solution.
   The transplanted heart muscle cells were successfully infused within the heart tissue of the macaques from as early as a month after the transplant.
   The team found improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction, which indicates how well the heart is pumping blood to the rest of the body, with the figures up by around 13 percentage points three months after the macaques received the transplants of large amounts of heart muscle cells.

(2024/04/26-21:43)

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