Heart Self-Healing: New Research
- - Some patients with artificial hearts show signs of heart muscle regeneration, according to research from the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson's Sarver Heart Center.
- Heart failure affects nearly 7 million adults in the U.S., contributing to 14% of deaths annually, according to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- hesham Sadek, director of the Sarver Heart Center and chief of cardiology at the U of A College of Medicine - Tucson, led the study.
Groundbreaking research reveals that artificial hearts may stimulate heart muscle regeneration, offering a potential breakthrough in heart failure treatment. The study, published in Circulation, demonstrates a regeneration rate over six times higher in patients with artificial hearts compared to healthy hearts. Researchers at the university of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson’s Sarver Heart Centre are leading the charge, exploring how these devices could unlock the heart’s natural ability to heal. This revelation could revolutionize treatment options for the nearly 7 million Americans affected by heart failure. News Directory 3 is following this story as scientists delve deeper,investigating why only some patients benefit from this regenerative effect. this exciting development highlights the amazing potential for future therapies. Discover what’s next …
Artificial Hearts May Spur heart Muscle Regeneration,Study Finds
Updated June 24,2025
TUCSON,Ariz. – Some patients with artificial hearts show signs of heart muscle regeneration, according to research from the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson’s Sarver Heart Center. The findings, published in Circulation, offer a potential new avenue for treating heart failure.
Heart failure affects nearly 7 million adults in the U.S., contributing to 14% of deaths annually, according to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While medications can slow the disease’s progression, there is no cure. For advanced cases, options are limited to heart transplants or artificial hearts, also known as left ventricular assist devices, which help the heart pump blood.
hesham Sadek, director of the Sarver Heart Center and chief of cardiology at the U of A College of Medicine – Tucson, led the study. Sadek noted the human heart typically does not regenerate after injury, unlike skeletal muscle. His team investigated whether this could change.
The research, funded by the Leducq Foundation, involved collaboration with experts from the University of Utah health and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. Stavros Drakos at Utah provided tissue samples from artificial heart patients. Researchers Jonas Frisén and Olaf Bergmann in Sweden and Germany used carbon dating to analyze the samples for newly generated cells.
The study revealed that patients with artificial hearts experienced muscle cell regeneration at a rate more than six times greater than that of healthy hearts. This offers hope for new heart failure treatments and highlights the potential for the heart to heal itself.
“This is the strongest evidence we have, so far, that human heart muscle cells can actually regenerate, which really is exciting, as it solidifies the notion that there is an intrinsic capacity of the human heart to regenerate,” sadek said.
Sadek’s earlier research showed that heart muscle cells divide actively before birth but stop shortly after to focus on continuous blood pumping.He wondered if artificial hearts, by assisting the heart’s function, allow the muscle to “rest” and regenerate.
He previously published evidence of cell division in patients with artificial hearts, suggesting possible regeneration. Combined with observations that some patients could have their devices removed after symptom reversal, Sadek hypothesized that artificial hearts provide a beneficial “bedrest” for cardiac muscles.
“Irrefutable evidence of heart muscle regeneration has never been shown before in humans,” Sadek said. ”This study provided direct evidence.”
What’s next
Sadek aims to determine why only about 25% of patients respond to artificial hearts with muscle regeneration. Understanding this could pave the way for making more patients responders, perhaps leading to a cure for heart failure. The study highlights the potential of artificial hearts in promoting heart muscle regeneration and offers a promising direction for future research and treatment.