细胞治疗的心脏组织再生的希望

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* M& M/ T7 O9 F5 a# kCell Therapy's heart tissue regeneration hope* J4 S3 ~* J) V+ q

6 N9 Y, d% z7 I" R- d5 `7 w( KResearch by a team of scientists in Wales has shown early signs of being able to regenerate damaged heart tissue.
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By experimenting at Cardiff and Swansea university laboratories, Cell Therapy hopes to develop new treatments for heart failure over the next five years.. T; T+ ?8 X- k; r. ]% R7 E9 r$ h
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Signs from early stem cell trials "look very positive", it said.
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  C/ ^5 h4 J: F7 P& wEx-First Minister Rhodri Morgan, a company director, said it could bring a cure for incurable heart disease.
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& j) ^4 S, h7 c$ B/ Y' S3 {5 JThe research team was co-founded by Nobel prize-winning scientist Sir Martin Evans, who first isolated and grew embryonic stem cells in the 1980s.! }+ A* A. p3 |
Cell Therapy Limited's executive director Ajan Reginald told BBC Wales: "We've identified what we think is a very potent type of stem cell which is heart specific.
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"And what our therapy does is to produce more of those so that you have a large number of those cells to help you to regenerate the part of the heart that is damaged.
7 U7 _: c9 v* k& M) _  ?"We've finished our first clinical trial which was focused on safety. The interim analysis looks very positive and very fortunately we've also seen some benefit - the study does show some signs of early regeneration."
- |% [( W9 e/ |One of the company's directors, former first minister Rhodri Morgan has a very personal history with heart disease.) j) }1 m7 J  l7 u; V/ S; _
In July 2007, weeks after a gruelling assembly election campaign, Mr Morgan suffered a heart attack. ; ~0 `! c% e1 d' V+ ~
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Talks about a coalition cabinet were put on hold as the then first minister had "stents" inserted into two blocked arteries.% G1 D) V* a) L+ Y9 j* ], I

8 w. z7 R& v, z5 c9 \2 N5 u6 o"It was very scary," Mr Morgan told BBC Wales, "in your heart of hearts you know - this is the big one."
5 ^2 r1 N, D+ @6 T4 NWelsh label
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"But I was very lucky because there was no permanent damage to my heart."
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3 g. h3 o1 a3 ]  y: O( dAlmost exactly 50 years earlier Mr Morgan had seen his father go through the same experience.# _! J: a# Z# c$ f" W5 L
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"I'll always remember helping the ambulance man carry my father down the stairs," he said. 6 U' `# I# r# ~2 K

* G! S7 i0 {, n"Heart disease has always been up there consciously for my brother and myself.". [8 }2 a& L  h1 F. q; g  E
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Mr Morgan's involvement with Cell Therapy is his first role in the private sector. " {) U/ j7 [) S

( r+ @) x: r2 C/ vHe said he wants to strengthen the company's Welsh roots.2 ?1 i$ r; X4 H0 q% R8 e
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"If we can bring it off this would represent a cure for people with incurable heart disease. - P* ~- b5 [" |* l. ^

/ {0 i2 j; }' i% k0 `: @4 J"That's a tremendous advantage but the fact that it would have a Welsh label on it as well would be tremendous for Wales."5 P6 G; K) g( W" \( \