regenerating

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine have successfully engineered stem cells that do not cause dangerous arrhythmias, a major complication previously hindering stem-cell therapies for injured hearts. By using CRISPR-based genome editing to modify ion channels in the stem cells, the team created a new line of cells called “MEDUSA,” which engraft in the heart, mature, and integrate into heart muscle without generating dangerous heart rates.Engineered stem cells do not provoke dangerous heart…

To call Venus a real oddball of a planet would be slightly understating the issue. It is so very similar to Earth – and yet at the same time as unlike Earth as one might expect an Earth-like planet to be.One of those differences is the Venusian lithosphere – the planet's hard, outer shell. On Earth, the lithosphere is fragmented and mobile, divided up into tectonic plates that help shape the planetary surface, all the while leaking heat from the planet's interior around their jagged edges.Venus's lithosphere, by…

Scientists have developed a new technique that can repair and even regenerate heart muscle cells after a heart attack (or myocardial infarction).While it has only been tested on mice so far, if it works the same in humans it could potentially be a life-saving treatment for people who have suffered a heart attack.   The technique uses a synthetic messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA). mRNA creates a 'blueprint' of DNA sequences that the body then uses to build the proteins that form and regulate our cells. By tweaking the…

Nerve damage can result in pain that lasts for years, or even a lifetime. There may be new hope, however, as scientists now report that exposing damaged nerves to a cold needle may cause them to regenerate, drastically reducing pain.The procedure, which can be performed by an interventional radiologist, is called interventional cryoneurolysis.In a nutshell, it involves freezing a hypodermic needle, inserting it beneath the patient's skin, then using CT-scanning technology to guide it into contact with a damaged nerve.…