Folklore is replete with stories of half-human, half-animal creatures but here’s one hybrid that’s for real. Scientists have used a rat’s heart to create a miniature human heart, a breakthrough that could enhance drug testing manifold. Using the ‘4-flow cannulation technique’, they chemically stripped away the cells of the rodent’s heart, leaving the heart lining intact, and introduced human cells into the matrix. The human cells cling to the matrix, replacing the lost rat cells, and eventually create a mini human heart. The study was conducted by a research team from Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca in Gothenburg, Sweden, and the findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2017 Scientific Sessions held in Portland, Oregon, US.

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Featured in Harmony — Celebrate Age Magazine
September 2017