KICK START THAT HEART
KICK START THAT HEART
RALEIGH, N.C. (Wireless Flash) Kick-starting a bum heart may be a literal experience in the near future. Researchers at Duke University Medical Center will soon test a procedure that uses human leg muscles to repair damaged heart muscles. In a previous experiment, the scientists replaced heart muscle cells in a rabbit with muscle cells taken from the animals leg. Now, they want to determine whether the same approach will work in humans. Molecular biologist Doris Taylor who formulated the technique says human testing will likely take place in the U.S. later this year. Meanwhile, researchers at a hospital in Rotterdam, Holland, have already started a safety trial using Taylors procedure.