The disastrous aftermath of a heart attack can be allayed by a simple gel injection, research shows.
Animal studies by Jason Burdick from the University of Pennsylvania in the US and his team found a specially designed hydrogel injected into hearts following cardiac failure helped strengthen the tissue and prevent further damage.
Burdick presented the work at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia in August.
Hydrogels aren’t new in medicine. Made mostly of water, the jelly-like polymer substances can be tuned for myriad uses: they can be permanent or melt away after a period, be doped with drugs or living cells to encourage growth and be harden to varying degrees.
This means they’re perfect to strengthen damaged soft tissue, such as post-attack heart muscle.
And because they’re injected in a catheter inserted under the skin, there’s no need for potentially dangerous open-chest surgery.
Check out the video below to learn more about Burdick’s work in hydrogel heart repair.
Originally published by Cosmos as Hydrogel injections help repair hearts
Jake Port
Jake Port contributes to the Cosmos explainer series.
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