Researchers created natural heart pacemaker from single gene

Researchers of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute developed pacemaker cells through injection of gene called Tbx18, which could greatly help in repairing the heart. This research would help treating the heart patients with the simple injection of so-called natural pacemaker. The researchers programmed ordinary cells of heart for becoming the exact imitations of specialised biological pacemakers through injection of single gene.

 

This is said to be the major step towards a long search of 10 years for finding the biological therapy that can correct falling heartbeats. The researchers described the study the first one to depict that one gene can direct conversion of cells of heart muscle to authentic pacemaker cells. The new cells are said to generate electrical impulses unexpectedly and these were also different from the local pacemaker cells. 

Actually, the pacemaker cells produce electrical activity which spreads in turn to other heart cells in a neat pattern for creating regular muscle contractions.  In case these cells go wrong, the heart starts beating randomly at its best. 

The heartbeat begins in sino-atrial node (SAN) of right upper chamber of heart where there are accumulated pacemaker cells. Out of the 10 billion cells of heart, less than 10000 are the pacemaker cells which are also referred as SAN cells. Once these new pacemaker cells are programmed by Tbx18 gene, they had all the important features of the native pacemakers. These pacemaker cells once programmed, also maintained the SAN-like characteristics despite the fact that effects of Tbx18 gene faded away. 

Researchers, who made use of the virus which is engineered to carry the single gene called Tbx18, directly reprogrammed the cells of heart muscle for specialising pacemaker cells.  These new cells performed the function as well as features of native pacemaker cells in lab cell reprogramming as well as in the studies conducted on guinea pig. 

In the initial efforts, new pacemaker cells were created but there was a risk of infecting cancerous cells. However, the new research created the pacemaker cells which are closely associated with native ones that do not pose risk of cancer.