Stem Cells Tackle Defect in Mouse Embryos
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Researchers have cured a genetic defect in mice by injecting embryonic stem cells directly into the embryos of mice destined to develop heart defects so severe that they would die in the womb. Half the mice were born with healthy hearts, the team reported in this week’s issue of the journal Science. Researchers found that the stem cells secreted certain molecules that signaled nearby heart cells to change, repairing the defects developing in those tissues.
