Dutch researchers from University Medical Centre Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute have made a breakthrough in stem cell research by successfully growing stem cells from adult human hearts into new heart muscle cells. For a long time, researchers thought that the adult heart contained no stem cells. However, recent studies have revealed the existence of a small pool of potential stem cells in the adult heart. In this latest study, principal investigator Professor Doevendans and his team succeeded in isolating some of these stem cells from the material left over from open-heart surgery. Until now, scientists have relied on human embryonic stem cells to create heart stem cells. However, this method is not very productive, as many of the cells do not develop into muscle cells. Furthermore, isolating stem cells from embryos remains a controversial issue. The researchers cultured these cells in the laboratory and allowed them to develop. Almost all the cells developed spontaneously into mature heart muscle cells that contract rhythmically and respond to both electrical activity and adrenaline. These cultured heart muscle cells will enable scientists to study heart defects and test new medicines, and could one day be used to repair heart tissue which has been damaged during a heart attack. The findings are published in the latest issue of the journal Stem Cell Research.


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