A patch made from lab-grown muscle cells boosted heart function in monkeys with cardiovascular disease and is now being tested in humans

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.

In "remarkable" work, a patch of engineered heart muscle cells was used to strengthen a patient's heart before transplant.