Researchers succeed in regenerating damaged heart cells

The regeneration of heart muscle has long remained an elusive dream. However, researchers at the Stanley Manne Research Institute have recently developed a promising technique in mice. This discovery could pave the way for new therapeutic approaches for congenital heart defects and recovery following a heart attack.


The scientists found that modifying heart cells to revert to a fetal-like state allowed for efficient self-repair through better glucose utilization. This method, which could lead to drug treatments that trigger this regenerative process, has significant implications for both pediatric and adult care.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a rare congenital defect where the left side of a baby's heart does not develop properly, affecting one newborn in 5,000 and causing 23% of cardiac deaths during the first week of life. Mammalian newborn cardiomyocytes can regenerate, but they lose this ability with age, explains Paul Schumacker, PhD.

The Journal of Clinical Investigation published a study in which researchers investigated whether adult cardiomyocytes could regain this fetal regenerative state. By deleting the mitochondrial gene UQCRFS1 in adult mice, they observed the regeneration of damaged heart cells, which absorbed more glucose like fetal heart cells.

The results show that increased glucose utilization can also restore the division and growth of adult heart cells, offering a new avenue to treat damaged heart cells. According to Dr. Schumacker, this discovery represents a first step towards solving a critical problem in cardiology: how to make heart cells remember their ability to divide to repair the heart.

The research team will now focus on identifying drugs capable of triggering this response without genetic manipulation. If a drug can activate this response, it could then be withdrawn once cardiac cell regeneration is complete. For children with HLHS, this could restore the normal thickness of the left ventricular wall, potentially lifesaving.

This approach could also benefit adults who have suffered damage from a heart attack, providing a new perspective on the treatment of these serious conditions.