Stem cells culprit behind heart attacks

 Scientists, including an Indian researcher, have found a previously unknown stem cell which is the real culprit behind heart attacks, a landmark finding which, they say, could revolutionise treatments for the cardiac disease.

Until now, it has been thought that vascular health problems were triggered by smooth muscle cells, but a team at the University of California in Berkeley identified a previously unknown stem cell, which causes the arteries to harden when it multiplies.

The groundbreaking work is set to completely change how heart attacks and strokes are treated, dramatically cutting the number of deaths, the researchers said. “For the first time, we are showing evidence that vascular diseases are actually a kind of stem cell disease,”said Professor Song Li, who led the research.

“This work should revolutionise therapies for vascular diseases because we now know that stem cells rather than smooth muscle cells are the correct therapeutic target,” Prof Li was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

“This is groundbreaking and provocative work, as it challenges existing dogma,” added his colleague Dr Deepak Srivastava. The newly discovered vascular stem cells are multipotent — or capable of changing into various cell types, including smooth muscle, nerve, cartilage, bone and fat cells — explaining why previous studies misidentified the cells involved in vessel clogs.