Cardiovascular Disease

 

The leading cause of death in the United States is heart disease and causes 1 out of every four deaths. The five billion cells in the human heart cell can be damaged by high blood pressure, blood clots, and heart attacks. As people grow older, the heart loses its ability to replace damaged cells. Patients with heart failure lose a multitude of cells without the ability to replace them. 

Stem cell researchers are working to develop and transplant heart cells to replace those that are damaged from heart disease.

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Researchers are developing methods to make replacement heart cells that work as well as the lost ones. Induced pluripotent cells and embryonic cells can be used to create new heart cells, but the new heart cells created with stem cells are more similar to the heart cells of an infant not adult. Researchers are currently trying to figure out how to mature these new heart cells so they can be used to treat the millions of people worldwide who suffer from heart disease. 

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