Monthly Archives: October 2013

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Using high-frequency ultrasound and special cardiac-assessment software by FUJIFILM VisualSonics, Inc., researchers have been able to implant engineered stem cells into the damaged heart tissue of mice and, over time, observe the regeneration of healthy cardiac rhythms.

Following a heart attack, scarred and infarcted (dead) tissue can interfere with the heart's ability to regain is regular synchronized motion. Findings published in the September Journal of Physiology by Mayo Clinic researchers reveal that, when mice underwent the grafting of stem cellsspecifically, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cellsinto their damaged hearts, cardiac motion was resynchronized.

"A high-resolution ultrasound revealed harmonized pumping where iPS cells were introduced to the previously damaged heart tissue," says Satsuki Yamada, MD, PhD, first author of the study: Induced pluripotent stem cell intervention rescues ventricular wall motion disparity, achieving biological cardia resynchronization post-infarction (Yamada S, Nelson T, Kane G, et al., Journal of Physiology 591 (17), 4335-4349).

This first-time discovery offers a significant step towards validating the potential in stem cell-based regenerative solutions to cardiac dyssynchrony. It was captured in ultrasound imaging and hard data through "speckle tracking echocardiography" made possible by VevoStrain Advanced Cardiac Analysis Software manufactured by VisualSonics of Toronto, Ontario. This software provides advanced imaging and quantification capabilities for studying sensitive movements in heart muscles and is the only commercial cardiac-strain package optimized for assessing cardiovascular function in preclinical rodent studies.

Dr. Yamada and his co-researchers utilized this highly specialized software during the implantion and observation of the stem cells within the beating mice hearts. The software documented the following:

By analyzing the data (specifically, measuring strain rate and time to peak analyses in systole), researchers were able to confirm that the irregular rhythms were corrected in those hearts engrafted with the iPS cells: homogenous wall motion was recovered; cell-mediated correction of dyssynchrony and discoordination occurred; and abnormal post-infarction ultrasound speckle patterns were normalized.

The VevoStrain software augments high-resolution imaging capabilities of the Vevo 2100 Imaging system manufactured by VisualSonics for preclinical, in vivo research. VisualSonics regularly attends conferences within the medical and scientific research industry, such as the annual American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions where visitors can see the VevoStrain software tool in action at the company's booth.

To learn more about VevoStrain software, go to: http://www.visualsonics.com/vevostrain.

About FUJIFILM VisualSonics, Inc.

See the article here:
High-Frequency Ultrasound Confirms Stem Cells Grafted in Beating Mice Hearts Restores Abnormal Rhythms

Public release date: 9-Oct-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sally Garneski pressinquiry@facs.org 312-202-5409 American College of Surgeons

WASHINGTON, DCResearchers at the University of Michigan Department of Surgery have begun testing an alternative to embryonic stem cells that could one day regenerate muscle tissue for babies with congenital heart defects. A research-in-progress report on this new approach, which uses amniotic stem cells, was presented today at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. Although this research is still in an early phase, this new approach has the potential to one day help thousands of babies born each year with congenital heart defects.

Typically, a pregnant woman can have a fetal ultrasound performed to find out the sex of her baby between 18 and 20 weeks gestation. But each year during pregnancy or after birth, 40,000 women also find out that their babies have birth defects in their hearts, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.*

Babies with congenital heart defects often go through multiple heart operations or even a transplant before their first birthday. But Shaun Kunisaki, MD, a pediatric surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at the University of Michigan, and his surgical team are testing a new method of regenerating defective heart tissue so that one day these multiple operations may no longer be necessary.

"We know that the baby's heart cells are functioning, but the muscle has developed abnormally," lead study author Dr. Kunisaki said. "We have to find the right source of new cells to replace the damaged cells or generate new tissue to augment the damaged heart."

Stem Cell Shortfalls

Until now embryonic stem cells have shown potential to morph into various types of organ tissues, but the ethics surrounding the process of having to destroy the embryo to achieve this outcome has drawn controversy.

Stem cells from bone marrow have also seemed promising, but such cells are obviously hard to obtain from a fetus. Furthermore, getting bone marrow from a donor brings about the same risk as having a heart transplanthaving to suppress the newborn infant's immune system so that its body doesn't reject the foreign cells. "Also, bone marrow cells are not made to function like heart muscle cells, but rather to protect against inflammation," Dr. Kunisaki explained.

Cardiac stem cells, which are in the heart, have also been considered, but the heart contains a very limited number of these stem cells.

Continued here:
Amniotic stem cells show promise in helping to repair cardiac birth defects