Human Heart Cells Working in Rats

The biotechnology company Geron Corp says that heart muscle cells derived from human embryonic stem cells that were transplanted into the hearts of rats are dividing and forming new heart tissue in the rodents. The cells were transplanted into healthy rats, however due to the success of the experiment the company is now planning further tests to see if transplanted human cells could help animals that have had heart attacks. In a statement to the press Thomas Okarma, Geron’s Chief Executive Officer, said “These results exemplify one of the basic advantages of using human embryonic stem cell-derived cells for tissue engineering &endash; namely their ability to re-create the natural developmental biology of new tissue formation.”