This is especially problematic in cases of blocked blood vessels, which can repeatedly starve large areas of the heart of oxygen and nutrients, killing the cardiomyocytes there. This leads to a reduction in cardiac function and can ultimately result in death.

Muscle patches generated from stem cells helped ease heart problems in monkeys and a human patient, in a potential advance towards improving treatments for the scourge of cardiac failure. Rhesus macaques’ heart functions improved using the technique, while preliminary results suggested similar effects on a person with advanced cardiac problems.

Grafting patches of lab-grown muscle to the surface of the heart could offer a lifeline for people waiting for a transplant.

Results from rhesus macaques provide solid ground for a first-in-human investigation of heart repair with stem cell-derived engineered heart muscle. The study is a milestone for the clinical application of the "heart patch" as an innovative treatment option for patients with advanced heart failure at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) and University Medical Center Schleswig-Hostein,