The Regeneration Game

It may only be a quarter of a millimetre wide, but this specially engineered biodegradable microsphere could be the key to repairing the damage caused by loss of blood flow to heart muscle during a heart attack. Because the heart only has a limited ability to repair itself, this damage leads to an increased risk of heart failure. Researchers are now testing whether microspheres packed with lab-grown heart muscle cells can be delivered directly into the heart to repair any damage. Nearly a million people in the UK are affected by heart failure – a figure that’s rising as more people than ever are surviving a heart attack. More research is needed to ensure that these tiny microspheres are a safe and effective treatment for people who have had a heart attack, but they offer hope that we may be able to help heal their broken hearts in the future.

Written by Kat Arney

Kat Arney

Writer

Dr Kat Arney is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster and public speaker, and is the founder and Creative Director of First Create The Media.

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• Image by Annalisa Bettini, UCL
• University College London, London, UK
• Image copyright held by Annalisa Bettini
• Research from the British Heart Foundation presented at the British Cardiovascular Society conference, June 2021