Heart-to-Heart Tool
Dateline: 07/16/98
We all know the statistics: millions suffer from heart disease, and many suffer heart attacks. Even more alarming is the fact that by some estimates more than 350,000 people die from so-called "sudden death" after a heart attack. Researchers have been baffled by the exact nature and cause of these deaths. Last week, scientists at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill unveiled a promising new modeling procedure which may shed some light on the mechanisms associated with heart attacks and sudden death.
This new system involved cultured heart cells. In a heart attack, some cells become deprived of oxygen while others continue to receive sufficient oxygen. The region between these two types of cells, called the border zone, is simulated in the cultured model. Since the culture focuses on the interactions in the border zone, it could be very helpful in studying arrhythmias. Arrhythmias are irregularities in the heartbeat usually associated with decreased blood flow in the coronary arteries.
The complex interactions within a particular organism and the size of the actual zone have made animal models particularly difficult in studying the border zone. Likewise, single cells don't display the border irregularities. By using a culture of cells, the research team was able to overcome both limitations. The border zone can be produced and the interactions are essentially isolated for practical purposes.
The cultures appear to be stable for a couple of hours, thus allowing the team to do basic time-based studies.
Since the causes and mechanisms associated with sudden death are so poorly understood, researchers are optimistic that this new modeling system will shed some light on sudden death. By focusing on the internal changes associated with cells and the resulting interactions, the team believes that the culture model will be successful.
What do you think? Might this new technique be helpful in reducing the instances of sudden death? What other therapies and/or procedures might be used to produce a synergistic effect? Come over to the Biology Forum and share your thoughts, opinions, and feelings.
