Nanotechnology to Repair Heart Injury

Although cardiac stem cell therapy is a promising treatment for heart attack patients, directing the cells to the site of an injury, and getting them to stay there, remains challenging. In a new pilot study using an animal model, North Carolina State University researcher Ke Cheng and his team show that "decorating" cardiac stem cells with platelet nanovesicles can increase the stem cells'' ability to find and remain at the site of heart attack injury and enhance their effectiveness in treatment.