The British Heart Foundation has launched a 50 million pound ($80 million) research project into the potential of stem cells to regenerate heart tissue and "mend broken hearts".
The pill, which could be available in as little as seven years, tricks the heart into healing itself and make the recovery from a heart attack as simple as mending a broken leg.
With more than 750,000 people living with heart failure in the UK alone, the medication could potentially revolutionise the lives of millions.
Professor Peter Weissberg, the British Heart Foundation’s Medical Director, said that a pill that triggers the heart into repairing the damage would be the ‘holy grail’.
He added: “Since the BHF's inception 50 years ago, we've made great strides in medical research to better diagnose and treat people with all kinds of heart problems.
“But the biggest issue that still eludes us is how to help people once their heart has been damaged by a heart attack.
“Scientifically, mending human hearts is an achievable goal and we really could make recovering from a heart attack as simple as getting over a broken leg.
“We are not trying to palliate the condition, which is what we have been very good at over the years, we are trying to regenerate and repair tissue.’
How it works?
Scientists are creating the miracle pill using a miracle fish protein, after witnessing a re-growth in mouse organs from adapting the zebrafish’s unique healing abilities.
They believe they can do the same thing for humans and potentially replace the need for transplants.
Using drugs containing the fish’s TB4 protein, heart attack victims would be able to repair their damage and regrow blood vessels and muscles.
The pill, which could be available in as little as seven years, tricks the heart into healing itself and make the recovery from a heart attack as simple as mending a broken leg.
With more than 750,000 people living with heart failure in the UK alone, the medication could potentially revolutionise the lives of millions.
Professor Peter Weissberg, the British Heart Foundation’s Medical Director, said that a pill that triggers the heart into repairing the damage would be the ‘holy grail’.
He added: “Since the BHF's inception 50 years ago, we've made great strides in medical research to better diagnose and treat people with all kinds of heart problems.
“But the biggest issue that still eludes us is how to help people once their heart has been damaged by a heart attack.
“Scientifically, mending human hearts is an achievable goal and we really could make recovering from a heart attack as simple as getting over a broken leg.
“We are not trying to palliate the condition, which is what we have been very good at over the years, we are trying to regenerate and repair tissue.’
How it works?
Scientists are creating the miracle pill using a miracle fish protein, after witnessing a re-growth in mouse organs from adapting the zebrafish’s unique healing abilities.
They believe they can do the same thing for humans and potentially replace the need for transplants.
Using drugs containing the fish’s TB4 protein, heart attack victims would be able to repair their damage and regrow blood vessels and muscles.
