Study Finds Human Heart Can Regrow Muscle Cells After Heart Attack
Australian researchers discover for the first time that the human heart naturally produces new muscle cells post-heart attack, opening doors to regenerative therapies.
In a groundbreaking world-first discovery, scientists from Australia have proven that the human heart possesses a previously unrecognized ability to regenerate muscle cells following a heart attack. The study, published in the journal Circulation Research, challenges the long-held belief that heart muscle damage after a myocardial infarction is permanent and irreversible. While scar tissue does form in affected areas, the research shows that new cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) are actively produced, a process previously observed only in animal models like mice.
Lead researcher Robert Hume, a research fellow at the University of Sydney and translational research lead at the Baird Institute for Applied Heart and Lung Research, explained the significance: “Until now we’ve thought that, because heart cells die after a heart attack, those areas of the heart were irreparably damaged, leaving the heart less able to pump blood to the body’s organs.” The team observed increased cell division (mitosis) in surviving heart tissue, indicating the heart’s natural repair mechanism kicks in after injury.
The breakthrough was made possible by analyzing living heart tissue samples collected from patients undergoing bypass surgery at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. This direct evidence from human hearts marks a major advancement over prior animal studies. Senior author Professor Sean Lal, a heart failure cardiologist at the same hospital, highlighted the long-term vision: “Ultimately, the goal is to use this discovery to make new heart cells that can reverse heart failure.”
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Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading global cause of death, and a single heart attack can destroy up to a third of the heart’s muscle cells, severely impairing its pumping ability and often leading to chronic heart failure. The new findings provide a promising foundation for developing regenerative therapies that could enhance the heart’s limited natural repair capacity, potentially reducing scarring and restoring function.
While the research is still in early stages, experts see it as a crucial step toward innovative treatments that go beyond symptom management to actual tissue regeneration. Further studies will focus on amplifying this cell-production process safely and effectively in patients.
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