Tracking Stem Cells in Hearts

Tracking Stem Cells in Hearts

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology to track how mesenchymal stem cells move through the heart in dogs. (Mesenchymal stem cells are adult stem cells found in bone marrow that are capable of differentiating into several other forms of cells.) In the study, the researchers labeled the stem cells with iron oxide. The main advantage of this study is that it provides a non-invasive way of finding out more about the stem cells’ migration through the body and tracking the healing process. In the study, the stem cells were injected into three areas of dogs’ hearts. The MRI studies showed that the control group which had received no stem cells had a 20% loss of mass in left ventricular tissue, while the dogs that received the stem cells only had a 2.5% loss. This means that the stem cell treated hearts were maintaining muscle strength. The MRI also showed that most of the stem cells were incorporated into the heart tissue in the “peri-infarction” zone (the area between the scar tissue and the damaged tissue).

The press release was picked up by MyDNA.com and Science Daily, among others.