Bone stem cells ‘could be used to heal heart injuries’

US scientists have made an unexpected discovery that bone-derived stem cells could be used as a means of healing and regenerating heart tissue.

The Temple University team carried out trials using cortical bone-derived stem cells among laboratory mice, finding that they were able to develop into functioning heart muscle cells that improved survival rates.

Moreover, the bone-derived cells were shown to actually perform better than cells taken directly from the heart, challenging common assumptions about cardiac stem cell therapy.

The researchers plan to continue their studies in this area with the aim of working their way towards the human testing phase.

Study senior investigator Dr Steven Houser, of Temple University School of Medicine's Cardiovascular Research Center, said: "What we did generates as many questions as it does answers … Which cells should be used and when they should be put into the heart are among many unanswered questions."

Heart attacks are currently one of the most common reasons why a person might require emergency medical treatment, making it important that new means of repairing damage to the organ are developed.