According to new research findings, a scarred heart tissue caused by a heart attack can be  treated by a 3D- bioprinted patch.

This research has been done by a team led by the University of Minnesota biomedical engineering researchers who have successfully come up with revolutionary 3D-bioprinted patch.

Due to heart attack, a patient loses blood flow to the heart muscle which causes cells to die. Human bodies are not equipped to replace heart muscle cells thus damaged. At that place in heart, a scarred tissue is formed, which may cause further ailment.

During this study, the researchers used laser-based 3D-bioprinting techniques. They incorporated stem cells which were taken from adult human heart cells. These cells grew on a matrix and started to beat in a dish synchronously in the lab.

After this cell patch was incorporated on a mouse following an induced heart attack, the scientists found remarkable improvement in functional capacity after just a month, according to ‘University of Minnesota Twin Cities.’

As the patch was created from cells and structural proteins from the heart, it became part and parcel of the body.  As such, no more surgeries were needed for the same ailment.