细胞治疗的心脏组织再生的希望

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# k* z4 L# L' I; C5 hCell Therapy's heart tissue regeneration hope
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Research 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.
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Signs from early stem cell trials "look very positive", it said.
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& U& S( m1 `: f+ l! T0 bEx-First Minister Rhodri Morgan, a company director, said it could bring a cure for incurable heart disease.3 q9 `+ k. N* F

6 ?. b( P; Q3 d  V7 u! `+ KThe research team was co-founded by Nobel prize-winning scientist Sir Martin Evans, who first isolated and grew embryonic stem cells in the 1980s.- h1 X. u) o+ x6 Y  U7 e9 M& }  k
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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5 }+ T! d9 L, o* l: B. o( h'Very scary'% Q& O$ B. P) |% [
"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.% k* w/ {& w) M, A2 w
"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."9 u2 u4 f) r  Y/ \* Z
One of the company's directors, former first minister Rhodri Morgan has a very personal history with heart disease." E0 l2 [5 i* g- n
In July 2007, weeks after a gruelling assembly election campaign, Mr Morgan suffered a heart attack.
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# R" X, ~6 A; W% M4 cTalks about a coalition cabinet were put on hold as the then first minister had "stents" inserted into two blocked arteries.
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: d3 @5 y& T9 T2 Y. L& K"It was very scary," Mr Morgan told BBC Wales, "in your heart of hearts you know - this is the big one."
$ E: Y3 f, r( C: p. J! {% h5 gWelsh label: v: _5 s+ ?* V# k. y7 g* s2 s

3 F+ o1 ?" L& o7 |"But I was very lucky because there was no permanent damage to my heart."
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Almost exactly 50 years earlier Mr Morgan had seen his father go through the same experience.0 @- `, K, M/ J! k" V7 ^

6 K7 `3 Z. N: f9 N9 K$ z"I'll always remember helping the ambulance man carry my father down the stairs," he said. * Q4 X, O4 {$ u4 A1 ?; m
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"Heart disease has always been up there consciously for my brother and myself."$ ^/ C; c. h# ~
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Mr Morgan's involvement with Cell Therapy is his first role in the private sector. 6 X3 `- I' ~* z$ Z/ G6 T

% D+ O' ]0 |0 ^  K% A" }" xHe said he wants to strengthen the company's Welsh roots.
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$ h  r/ i9 }( v# G"If we can bring it off this would represent a cure for people with incurable heart disease.
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"That's a tremendous advantage but the fact that it would have a Welsh label on it as well would be tremendous for Wales."
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