Researchers have treated a baby’s congenital heart disease using stem cells injected directly into his heart.
- According to the French Federation of Cardiology, congenital heart anomalies concern 5 out of 1,000 births.
- Congenital heart diseases are anomalies frequently found during the development of the fetus, according to the Foundation for Medical Research.
This is the first time that such an experiment has been carried out on an infant and it is a success! After a life-threatening 12-hour open-heart operation, researchers at the University of Bristol decided to inject stem cells directly into the heart of a baby named Finlay to save him.
Stem cells are a new type of treatment for heart disease
This intervention took place during a second surgery, in order to increase the chances of healing of his damaged vessels and to stabilize the blood supply in his left ventricle. The infant suffered from congenital heart disease, namely a reversal of the connections of the aorta and the pulmonary artery with the heart.
“We’re trying to create living tissue, whether it’s a valve, a blood vessel or a patch, that will grow with the child and not deteriorate.”explains the surgeon who operated on Finlay, Massimo Caputo, in a press release.
This is not the case with replacement heart valves or patches inserted during surgery in young children, which currently constitute the temporary solution for congenital heart disease. These cannot grow with their hearts and gradually deteriorate, requiring costly and invasive repeated surgeries.
Researchers want to develop ‘stem cell patches’
After this success, research is now active to improve the treatment so that it forms a kind of “stem cell patch“, transposable during a first surgery.
Eventually, the technique could revolutionize the treatment of childhood heart disease, as children would no longer need repeated surgeries and the stem cell patch could boost tissue repair in addition to being less likely to be rejected by the body, can we read in Trust My Science which tells the story.
“For years, families have come to us asking why their child has had to undergo heart surgery time and time again. Although each operation can save a life, it can put an incredible amount of stress on the child and their parents. We believe our stem cell patches will be the answer to solving these problems.“, concludes Massimo Caputo.
