D. JonesAmazing Magnets! Healing Damaged Hearts!
April 22nd 2010 08:11
Researchers are using magnets to heal hearts that have suffered from traumatic injuries. The magnets are being used in combination with stem cell therapy. Dr. Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles, (Also known as the hospital for the rich and famous!) said in a news release from the institute, "Once injected into a patient's artery, many stem cells are lost due to the combination of tissue blood flow, which can wash out stem cells, and cardiac contraction, which can squeeze out stem cells. We needed to find a way to guide more of the cells directly to the area of the heart that we want to heal."
Marban and his team of researchers have managed to manipulate cardiac stem cells by loading them with microscopic pieces of iron. The cells were injected into mice who had suffered heart attacks and magnets were placed in that area (like the dying muscle area in the photo above) The cells are then retained at the damaged site, giving the area optimal opportunity for recovery. The procedure is called magnet targeting. This method is being considered for other stem cell therapies and its possible potential. Marban and his wife have filed a patent for this procedure! (Good for them! This is ground-breaking stuff! Maybe one day it can be used to heal brain injuries and maybe even spinal cord injuries!....Science is a beautiful thing!)
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