Scientists from UC San Diego, Georgia Tech, and Emory University have found that an injectable hydrogel can reduce damage to the right side of the heart in animals with heart problems.
Their study, published on March 6 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science, brings new hope for treating children born with a serious heart condition called hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
This condition affects fewer than 4% of all babies with heart defects, but it causes 40% of deaths linked to heart problems in newborns. In this disorder, the left side of the heart doesn’t develop properly, leaving it unable to pump blood to the body.
To survive, babies go through three major open-heart surgeries before they turn five years old. These surgeries force the right side of the heart to do the job of both sides, pushing blood to the lungs and the rest of the body.
But the right side of the heart isn’t built for this heavy workload. It normally pumps blood to the lungs at lower pressure and volume. When it has to pump blood to the whole body, it becomes overworked, leading to thickened muscle, scarring, and eventual failure. Many patients eventually need a heart transplant.
The hydrogel treatment was first tested in rodents. The researchers had already shown in 2019 that this same hydrogel was safe for people who had heart attacks. Based on the new study, the FDA has approved it for testing in children with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. A clinical trial will start soon, once final approvals are given.
Injecting the hydrogel into the right side of the heart improved how the heart worked. It helped the heart handle higher pressure and slowed the scarring and abnormal muscle growth. While not a cure, researchers hope the treatment can make the heart last longer and give children a better quality of life.
The hydrogel itself is made from the natural support structure of pig hearts. The tissue is cleaned to remove all cells, turned into powder, and then liquefied. Once injected, it turns into a soft, sponge-like gel that helps the heart heal by attracting the patient’s own cells to fix the damaged areas.
In the lab, the hydrogel began helping the heart just two weeks after being injected. The team used tissue from both the right and left sides of pig hearts to make the hydrogel and found that the one made from the left side worked better.
It reduced scarring and thickening of the heart muscle and encouraged the growth of small blood vessels. It also changed the activity of genes involved in heart healing and immune response.
Next, the children’s hospital in Atlanta, which works with Emory and Georgia Tech, will begin a clinical trial to test the hydrogel in newborns with this heart condition. The hope is that the treatment can help these babies live longer and healthier lives while waiting for a heart transplant.
If you care about heart health, please read studies that vitamin K helps cut heart disease risk by a third, and a year of exercise reversed worrisome heart failure.
For more health information, please see recent studies about supplements that could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and results showing this food ingredient may strongly increase heart disease death risk.
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