Human Stem Cells Revive Mouse's Cell-Stripped Heart

Scientists in Pennsylvania have successfully transplanted human stem cells into a mouse's heart intentionally stripped of its own cells. The mouse heart began beating, showing the exciting potential for regenerative medicine.

The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine said researchers first removed all the cells from the mouse's heart to prepare the heart as a "scaffold" on order to test regeneration. In technical terms, this process is called "decellularization." The researchers then repopulated the heart with human cells.