Heart research

Mary W. (United States of America)
UW researchers see work as step toward regenerating human heart, Seattle Times, Aug. 8, 2012

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2018869480_heartcells08m.html
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. researcher
    a scientist devoted to systematic investigation
    To tell if the new cells were beating in rhythm with their host, the researchers inserted a sensor gene that would fluoresce green when the cells contracted.
  2. cell
    the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms
    Human heart-muscle cells injected into the damaged heart of a guinea pig not only strengthened the heart's ability to contract, the cells synchronized with the animal's heart and protected it from arrhythmias, rhythm disturbances that can be fatal.
  3. derived
    formed or developed from something else; not original
    University of Washington researchers have reported that transplanting human heart cells — derived from embryonic stem cells — into damaged guinea-pig hearts synchronized with and strengthened the animals' hearts and provided protection from dangerous rhythm disturbances.
  4. embryonic
    of an organism prior to birth or hatching
    When the researchers injected the human heart cells, grown from embryonic stem cells, into the hearts of guinea pigs with damaged hearts, they saw a "profound effect," said Dr. Michael Laflamme, the senior author.
  5. rhythm
    recurrence at regular intervals
    To tell if the new cells were beating in rhythm with their host, the researchers inserted a sensor gene that would fluoresce green when the cells contracted.
  6. research
    a seeking for knowledge
    That goal is being actively pursued by a number of research groups, with some successes.
  7. muscle
    animal tissue consisting predominantly of contractile cells
    In a way, that success has helped create an epidemic of a subsequent problem: heart failure, most often caused by the damage to heart muscle.
  8. therapy
    the act of providing treatment for an illness or disorder
    But so far, all stem-cell therapies are still experimental.
  9. cardiologist
    a specialist in the structure and function of the heart
    Dr. Glenn Fishman, a cardiologist at the New York University Langone School of Medicine not connected to this research, urged caution.
  10. rejuvenate
    make younger or more youthful
    The area where the heart cells grafted was small, he said, and the benefits could be from a known effect in which transplanted cells secrete substances that somehow rejuvenate damaged host tissue.
  11. stem cell
    an undifferentiated cell whose daughter cells may differentiate into other cell types (such as blood cells)
    When the researchers injected the human heart cells, grown from embryonic stem cells, into the hearts of guinea pigs with damaged hearts, they saw a "profound effect," said Dr. Michael Laflamme, the senior author.
  12. stem-cell research
    research on stem cells and their use in medicine
  13. cardiovascular
    of or pertaining to or involving the heart and blood vessels
    Regenerating a damaged heart is the "big dream, the big vision," said Dr. Charles E. Murry, a cardiovascular biologist who co-led the research.
  14. guinea pig
    stout-bodied nearly tailless domesticated cavy
    When the researchers injected the human heart cells, grown from embryonic stem cells, into the hearts of guinea pigs with damaged hearts, they saw a "profound effect," said Dr. Michael Laflamme, the senior author.
  15. profound
    far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect
    When the researchers injected the human heart cells, grown from embryonic stem cells, into the hearts of guinea pigs with damaged hearts, they saw a "profound effect," said Dr. Michael Laflamme, the senior author.
  16. arrhythmia
    an abnormal rate of muscle contractions in the heart
    "The animals that had received these stem-cell-derived heart-muscle cells had far fewer arrhythmias," said Laflamme.
  17. pathologist
    a doctor who specializes in medical diagnosis
    Like Murry, he is a cardiovascular biologist, pathologist and member of the UW Center for Cardiovascular Biology and the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine.
  18. regenerate
    reestablish on a new, usually improved, basis
    Regenerating a damaged heart is the "big dream, the big vision," said Dr. Charles E. Murry, a cardiovascular biologist.
  19. inject
    force or drive (a fluid or gas) into by piercing
    When the researchers injected the human heart cells, grown from embryonic stem cells, into the hearts of guinea pigs with damaged hearts, they saw a "profound effect," said Dr. Michael Laflamme, the senior author.
Created on Sat Aug 11 00:02:32 EDT 2012 (updated Sat Aug 11 00:56:03 EDT 2012)

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