Pacing cells??????????

Hey, I know you are tired of me, but I was looking up the artificial heart on this one site, when I just thought I wouls see what's under Cardiology. Well, doctors are coming up with cells to "inject" into a person's heart to regulate the beat. Call me crazy, but I LIKE my pm, and definatly do NOT want these new cells!


1 Comments

Cardiac cells

by maryanne - 2008-04-27 08:04:41

Your post intrigued me so I did some looking up myself...what I found was this site on the Health Blog and an article that was published April 17th 2008 titled
"Heartbeat Genes Could provide Alternative to Pacemakers" and here is a little of what they had to say.....

"in 2001, Rosen and colleagues inserted genes into rat heart cells growing in a dish and were able to create a beating pattern that was faster and more regular than had been seen before. They’ve since had to reckon with the challenge of getting the genes into animals’ hearts — and of course ultimately they’ll want them in humans.

One option was to stitch the pacemaker genes into adult stem cells. The researchers, who’ve gotten funding along the way from pacemaker-maker Boston Scientific, wondered whether the modified stem cells would find their way to the right place and stay put — or if they’d just wander off and create beats wherever they landed. But they behaved the right way in dogs for six weeks. The next step is a one-year trial in dogs."

It would appear that we are along way off from pacemakers being replaced by these pacemakter genes...but personally I look at it as being no different than chemo drugs....get rid of the bad cells and encourage the grow of new healther cells. If they can create a gene and insert it into a stem cell and have it respond directly to the cardiac pacer cells then I am all for it....personally I like the idea of being able to have a choice...

You know you're wired when...

Friends call you the bionic man.

Member Quotes

I swim, scuba, garden, hike, climb, workout, play with the kids, play tennis, baseball, basket ball and rollerblade with mine with no problem.