More Vacularization By Stem Cell Transplant
As a companion piece to the clinical trial noted yesterday, here's more stem cell research aimed at blood vessel repair and regrowth: "Multipotent adult progenitor stem cells extracted from bone marrow, and known as MAPCs, have proved to be effective in the regeneration of blood vessel tissue and also in muscle tissue when treating peripheric vascular disease. ... Acute peripheric vascular disease involves the obstruction of the blood circulation in a determined area of the organism, as a consequence of the occlusion of the artery supplying blood to it, with the consequent reduction in blood flow. ... The most important finding from the research was that adult MAPC stem cells are more effective when injected without pre-differentiation, not only because they contribute in increasing the quantity of arteries and veins generated in the new area, but also because they manage to enhance muscle regeneration [as] a consequence of secreting a series of substances. The research thus concluded that the MAPC progenitor cells implanted in mice achieved an indirect improvement of the muscle and a direct enhancement of the vessels."
Link: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-01/ef-asc012408.php