The cardiopatch study was conducted by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the Geneva University in collaboration with Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL).
Using a protein growth factor called BMP2, cardiac-committed mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) were committed toward the cardiac fate and then embedded into a biocompatible and biodegradable fibrin hydrogel.
The cells were loaded with super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles so they could be tracked using magnetic resonance imaging.
The patches were engrafted onto the hearts of laboratory rats that had induced heart attacks.
The hearts of the animals receiving the mESC-seeded patches showed significant improvement over those receiving patches loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles alone.
The patches degraded the cells had colonized the infarcted tissue and new blood vessels were forming in the vicinity of the transplanted patch, the study reported.