Artificial aorta takes pressure off the heart to reduce transplants

When the heart is injured it can’t repair itself, meaning that heart failure often requires a transplant of the whole organ. But now, scientists at EPFL have developed an artificial aorta that can help pump blood, taking some of the pressure off the he… Continue reading Artificial aorta takes pressure off the heart to reduce transplants

Swine of the Times: Pig-to-Human Organ Transplants on Track for 2021

Every day in the US, seventeen people die because they couldn’t get a organ transplant in time. An American biotech company called United Therapeutics is looking to pick up the lifesaving slack by producing a line of genetically-modified pigs for …read more

Continue reading Swine of the Times: Pig-to-Human Organ Transplants on Track for 2021

Spacefaring flies shed light on heart defect caused by microgravity

The results of a new study in which fruit flies were flown to the International Space Station (ISS) and back could help develop treatments designed to keep astronauts’ hearts healthy on long-haul missions to Mars.Continue ReadingCategory: Space, Scienc… Continue reading Spacefaring flies shed light on heart defect caused by microgravity

Life-size model heart 3D-printed out of cardiac tissue-like material

If you were planning to perform open-heart surgery on someone, it would definitely help if you could first do a “dry run” on an exact replica of their heart. Doing so may soon be possible, thanks to a recent advance in 3D printing technology.Continue R… Continue reading Life-size model heart 3D-printed out of cardiac tissue-like material

Experimental drug halves cholesterol levels in phase 2 clinical trials

Scientists are reporting promising results from a phase 2 clinical trial of a cholesterol-reducing drug called evinacumab. The study reports that in patients with extremely high cholesterol, the drug was able to reduce levels by about half, compared to… Continue reading Experimental drug halves cholesterol levels in phase 2 clinical trials

Self-powered patch monitors and treats damaged hearts

Over the years we’ve looked at many implantable patches that can be used to treat damaged hearts, but a new example developed at the University of Houston is claimed to take these into new territory. Described as the first of its kind, the rubbery patc… Continue reading Self-powered patch monitors and treats damaged hearts

Scientists knit new artery grafts out of collagen and synthetic fibers

Heart attack patients often need replacements for damaged or blocked sections of coronary arteries, which are usually taken from their own leg veins. But in a new proof-of-concept study, scientists knitted a prototype graft out of hybrid synthetic and … Continue reading Scientists knit new artery grafts out of collagen and synthetic fibers

Depression detectable through heart rate fluctuations, small study finds

New research, presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s Virtual Congress, has shown depression can be detected by monitoring fluctuations in a person’s heart rate over a 24-hour period. The small, proof-of-concept study certainly n… Continue reading Depression detectable through heart rate fluctuations, small study finds

Spit test promises to diagnose heart attacks in just 10 minutes

New preliminary research is suggesting a simple saliva test can detect the presence of a protein biomarker known to signal the occurrence of a heart attack in just 10 minutes. If this prototype test is validated in future studies it could dramatically … Continue reading Spit test promises to diagnose heart attacks in just 10 minutes

First functioning mini human hearts grown from stem cells

Scientists have created the first-ever functional miniature human hearts in the lab. Grown from stem cells, these heart “organoids” are made up of all primary heart cell types and have functioning chambers and vasculature. They could help us understand… Continue reading First functioning mini human hearts grown from stem cells