Seeking to Grow New Blood Vessels in Hearts.

• Position: Brief Article

Damage from heart attacks may be partially reversible in the future. Researchers at Ohio State University, Columbus, are seeking new methods for patients to grow blood vessels in the heart to replace the ones they have lost in a heart attack.

Nicanor I. Moldovan, an assistant professor at the university's Heart and Lung Institute and Biomedical Engineering Center, explains that, during a heart attack, blockage in coronary arteries leaves a portion of the victim's heart tissue without oxygen, a condition called ischemia. When this occurs, part of the heart tissue begins to die--an event signaled by severe chest pain.

Moldovan discovered that, in a mouse model of cardiac ischemia, blood-derived cells called monocytes penetrate this damaged heart tissue, leaving behind a network of tunnels in the tissue. Monocytes, the largest blood cells, normally circulate through the body to capture and ingest infectious agents such as bacteria. They also penetrate enflamed body tissue to help defend against infections.

Researchers took mouse hearts containing monocyte-caused tunnels and transplanted them into healthy mice. Five days later, they found evidence in the...