The development of artificial cell membrane binding proteins

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During a heart attack, muscles in the heart suffer damage because of the loss of oxygen. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for the body to repair this damage, which weakens the heart and increases the chance of subsequent heart failure. An exciting new approach to repair this damage involves injecting stem cells into the surrounding areas to help repair the damage. However, results from medical trials have so far been modest at best. This is in part due to the difficulty in getting the cells to remain in the region of the damaged tissue. Accordingly, at CytoSeek, we are developing a new technology that enables cells to home to damaged tissue in the heart, which should drastically increase the efficacy of cell therapy. The process involves "painting" the patient’s own cells with a special designer protein that enables the cells to recognise and bind to the damaged tissue and assist the regeneration.