Microneedles against heart attack

A patch with microneedles will deliver stem cells directly to the heart

Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+

In the USA alone, 735 thousand people have heart attacks every year. As a result, their heart tissues are damaged, which increases the risk of future problems. Stem cells should help the organ recover, but due to the constant flow of blood, they are poorly retained in the heart. Scientists have found a solution to this problem.

An international team of researchers has presented an unusual solution: a small patch covered with microneedles to deliver stem cells directly into the heart tissue.

Figure from the article by Tang et al. Cardiac cell–integrated microneedle patch for treating myocardial infarction, published in the journal Science Advances – VM.

Scientists compared the effect of the patch with standard intramuscular and intravenous injection of cells. For this purpose, experimental animals were used – rats and pigs who had suffered a heart attack. During open-heart surgeries, researchers fixed fragments of patches directly on the animals' hearts.

Further analysis showed that in rats the patch prevented cell death and stimulated the development of new heart tissue, and in pigs it increased the volume of blood flow.

The current version of the patch consists of polymer materials. Before scientists begin human trials, they intend to replace them with biodegradable compounds. In addition, it is necessary to develop a method of installing a patch that does not require open-heart surgery.

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