Korea University research team develops technology to create non-renewable ‘heart muscle’… Succeeded in converting ordinary cells, ‘fibroblasts’, into mature and fully functional ‘induced cardiomyocytes’
A heart damaged by cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure cannot regenerate heart muscle (myocardium). Heart muscle cells stop dividing immediately after birth and then continuously devote energy to pumping blood throughout the body.
A new study has shown that heart disease patients’ own cells can be used to create heart muscle that is almost impossible to regenerate. The Korea University School of Medicine research team announced that it had succeeded in developing an innovative technology that converts ‘fibroblasts’, common connective tissue cells, into functional ‘induced cardiomyocytes’.
Professor Song Myeong-hwa (cardiology), lead author of the study, said, “Because the heart has little ability to regenerate on its own, it is especially difficult to recover from damage caused by cardiovascular disease. “We have developed a technology to reprogram our body’s cells to restore damaged tissue,” he said.
The research team unveiled an innovative technology that converts fibroblasts into ‘induced cardiomyocytes (iCM).’ This technology combines fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) and vitamin C to promote cell maturation and improve function. The combination of fibroblast growth factor 4 and ascorbic acid promotes the maturation of induced cardiomyocytes (iCM) by activating a specific signaling pathway (JAK2-STAT3).
Professor Song said, “By effectively reprogramming fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes with improved structure and function, we have raised exciting possibilities for regenerative medicine. “The results of this study bring us closer to turning regenerative medicine into a practical treatment,” he explained. An important step has been taken toward treating the heart using the patient’s own cells.
According to the research team, direct cardiac reprogramming, bypassing the intermediate stem cell step, allows fibroblasts to be converted into induced cardiomyocytes. This approach holds great promise. The research team had difficulty creating mature, fully functional cardiomyocytes. However, this obstacle was overcome by activating an important cellular mechanism (JAK2-STAT3 signaling pathway).
The research team utilized cutting-edge technologies such as RNA sequencing, fluorescence imaging, and electrophysiological testing. As a result, good improvements were achieved, including improved cell structure with clearly defined muscle fibers and T-tubes, improved electrical activity due to improved ion channel function, and more efficient generation of fully reprogrammed mature cardiomyocytes. Professor Song said, “The JAK2-STAT3 pathway played a critical role in producing this effect. This pathway allows the induction of cells that almost exactly mimic the structure and function of natural cardiomyocytes.” The results of this study are noted as showing the possibility of repairing damage caused by cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks. If this technology is used as a treatment in the future, it will likely be possible to make great progress in the fight against cardiovascular disease by providing personalized solutions to regenerate heart tissue. It is expected that it will significantly reduce excessive dependence on heart transplantation.
The team said further research is needed to determine whether the technology is clinically safe and effective. The results of this study (FGF4 and ascorbic acid enhance the maturation of induced cardiomyocytes by activating JAK2–STAT3 signaling) were published in the international journal Experimental & Molecular Medicine.
Source: kormedi.com
