A groundbreaking study by Massachusetts General Hospital has revealed potential strategies to reverse heart scarring post-myocardial infarction by comparing scar formation in zebrafish and mice. The research highlighted differences in collagen cross-linking, suggesting that preventing the maturity of these links might allow for scar tissue resorption and heart regeneration, similar to the process observed in zebrafish. This insight opens new avenues for treating heart and fibrotic diseases, potentially reducing mortality and improving quality of life.
A recent study conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) , a founding member of the Mass General Brigham (MGB) healthcare system, has uncovered a significant advancement in aiding heart regeneration following a myocardial infarction (MI). For the first time, the researchers compared the formation of scar tissue in the injured hearts of zebrafish and mice, discovering how to potentially reverse the permanent scarring that is so damaging to mammal hearts. The results of the study are published in Nature Communications .
“We are the first to directly compare and show very fundamental differences in the formation of scar tissue between zebrafish and mammals,” says lead author Eman A. Akam-Baxter, PhD, an investigator at the MGH Cardiovascular Research Center and instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “The results of our study point to a possible new target to reverse scarring after myocardial .