Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh researchers -- led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Professors Johnny Huard and Bruno Peault -- have identified a unique population of adult stem cells that could also treat such diseases as heart attack and muscular dystrophy.

The scientists isolated and characterized myoendothelial stem cells that are easily isolated using cell-sorting techniques, proliferate rapidly and can be differentiated in the laboratory into muscle, bone and cartilage cells.

"Finding this population of stem cells in a human source represents a major breakthrough for us because it brings us much closer to a clinical application of this therapy," said Huard.

The scientists said 1,000 myoendothelial cells transplanted into the injured skeletal muscle of immunodeficient mice produced, on average, 89 muscle fibers, compared with nine and five muscle fibers for endothelial and satellite cells, in that order. The myoendothelial cells also showed no propensity to form tumors, which is a concern with other stem cell therapies.

The research is reported in the September issue of Nature Biotechnology.