An important step for science was achieved today when a team of scientists was able to create an actual beating heart in a lab. This is a vital step forward towards the ability to replicate human organs for transplants in the future. Researchers at the University of Minnesota successfully grew the heart of rat by using stem cells.
The process towards creating this beating heart was complicated and required numerous techniques. First, they removed all of the dead cells from a dead rat’s heart. They left behind the valves and the outer tissue to act as a template for the new heart. Once this was completed, new stem cells were injected. In just two weeks, these cells joined together to grow a new heart that was able to beat, pump blood and even produce electrical impulses.
