According to the University of Granada, Spanish researchers have employed for the first time adult cells extracted from a human heart to turn stem cells from adipose tissue into cardiac myocytes. In other words, they achieved to “reprogram” adult stem cells, which might improve treatments for heart disease therapeutical.

At present, the use of stem cells in treatments for heart disease is one of the most common practices. However, working with stem cells without targeting heart tissue negatively affects the efficacy of treatments. Therefore, inducing cell differentiation into cardiac muscle (cardiomyocytes) may be one of the best options in the treatment of these pathologies.