New post heart attack therapy created

SINGAPORE, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A new therapy designed to improve post heart attack survival and recovery is being reported by scientists in Singapore and the Netherlands.

The method, developed in an animal model, was reported by researchers at Singapore's Institute of Medical Biology and the Bioprocessing Technology Institute, as well as at The Netherlands' University Medical Center.

In their studies involving pigs, the researchers said they found the administration of secretion from stem cells minimized heart injury by enhancing reperfusion therapy (angioplasty and cardiac bypass surgery) and reducing tissue death by an added 60 percent. Heart function was also markedly improved, the scientists reported in a paper published in the June issue of Stem Cell Research.

The scientists said their findings are especially important since they show the new method can overcome unwanted side effects of reperfusion, currently the best therapeutic option available to heart attack patients. Reperfusion is the restoration of blood flow to the oxygen-deprived heart after a heart attack.

"This is a major discovery of clinical significance," said Dr. Lee Chuen-Neng, an adviser to the Singaporean researchers. "Potentially, we may have an important way to treat heart attacks. More tests will need to be done and human trials planned."