How does the heart make new heart muscle?

Cardiomyocyte regeneration in non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy

This research aims to investigate how the heart makes new heart muscle in a model of heart disease and answer three main questions: How much can the heart mend itself? Which cells make new heart muscle? What limitations prevent these cells from completely mending the heart? Until recently, it was thought that the heart did not have any in-built ability to regrow new muscle. However, growing research evidence suggests that heart cells can regenerate. Dr Gavin Richardson at the University of Newcastle is leading an international collaborative team that is trying to answer the fascinating question of whether the heart can heal itself after damage. The group are looking at a model of long term heart failure which occurs when the heart muscle has become stretched and weakened over time, for instance because of an inherited defect in heart muscle. They are hoping to understand more about how regeneration may occur in chronic heart failure – which heart cells are responsible for driving this, and what level of repair they are able to achieve in hearts. The findings will be very exciting for the research community, who may be able to develop this knowledge to enhance the heart’s ability to heal itself.