Fixing a broken heart: Exploring new ways to heal damage after a heart attack

The days immediately following a heart attack are critical for survivors’ longevity and long-term healing of tissue. Now researchers have designed a method to deliver a regenerative material through a noninvasive catheter to the affected area of the heart. Once there, the body’s inflammatory response signals the peptides to form nanofibers similar to the body’s extracellular matrix, which degrades following a heart attack. This preclinical research was conducted in a rodent model.