High-Frequency Ultrasound Confirms Stem Cells Grafted in Beating Mice Hearts Restores Abnormal Rhythms

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Using high-frequency ultrasound and special cardiac-assessment software by FUJIFILM VisualSonics, Inc., researchers have been able to implant engineered stem cells into the damaged heart tissue of mice and, over time, observe the regeneration of healthy cardiac rhythms.

Following a heart attack, scarred and infarcted (dead) tissue can interfere with the heart's ability to regain is regular synchronized motion. Findings published in the September Journal of Physiology by Mayo Clinic researchers reveal that, when mice underwent the grafting of stem cellsspecifically, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cellsinto their damaged hearts, cardiac motion was resynchronized.

"A high-resolution ultrasound revealed harmonized pumping where iPS cells were introduced to the previously damaged heart tissue," says Satsuki Yamada, MD, PhD, first author of the study: Induced pluripotent stem cell intervention rescues ventricular wall motion disparity, achieving biological cardia resynchronization post-infarction (Yamada S, Nelson T, Kane G, et al., Journal of Physiology 591 (17), 4335-4349).

This first-time discovery offers a significant step towards validating the potential in stem cell-based regenerative solutions to cardiac dyssynchrony. It was captured in ultrasound imaging and hard data through "speckle tracking echocardiography" made possible by VevoStrain Advanced Cardiac Analysis Software manufactured by VisualSonics of Toronto, Ontario. This software provides advanced imaging and quantification capabilities for studying sensitive movements in heart muscles and is the only commercial cardiac-strain package optimized for assessing cardiovascular function in preclinical rodent studies.

Dr. Yamada and his co-researchers utilized this highly specialized software during the implantion and observation of the stem cells within the beating mice hearts. The software documented the following:

By analyzing the data (specifically, measuring strain rate and time to peak analyses in systole), researchers were able to confirm that the irregular rhythms were corrected in those hearts engrafted with the iPS cells: homogenous wall motion was recovered; cell-mediated correction of dyssynchrony and discoordination occurred; and abnormal post-infarction ultrasound speckle patterns were normalized.

The VevoStrain software augments high-resolution imaging capabilities of the Vevo 2100 Imaging system manufactured by VisualSonics for preclinical, in vivo research. VisualSonics regularly attends conferences within the medical and scientific research industry, such as the annual American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions where visitors can see the VevoStrain software tool in action at the company's booth.

To learn more about VevoStrain software, go to: http://www.visualsonics.com/vevostrain.

About FUJIFILM VisualSonics, Inc.

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High-Frequency Ultrasound Confirms Stem Cells Grafted in Beating Mice Hearts Restores Abnormal Rhythms