02 February 2011
London, India
Recovering from a cardiac attack could soon be a simple affair, as British scientists claimed to have inched closer to developing a pill that can seamlessly mend a damaged heart. Researchers funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said they are hoping to replicate in a drug the amazing regenerative ability of animals such as the zebrafish which can easily mend its damaged heart.
If successful, it could revolutionise the treatments administered to patients after a heart attack. Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director at the BHF, said: "Scientifically, mending human hearts is an achievable goal and we really could make recovering from a heart attack as simple as getting over a broken leg. It could revolutionise the quality of life people whose lives are ruined by their heart’s incapacity."
It is hoped that the first clinical trials will take place in the next decade. As the heart is unable to mend itself after a heart attack, it leaves many unable to perform the smallest tasks without getting out of breath.
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