The beat goes on: Promising heart disease treatment moves to next stage of research

Combining stem cells and silicon nanowires has shown promise as a step toward a new treatment for heart damage, and the technology is now ready for its next challenge, said a Clemson University bioengineering professor.

In a new project funded by the National Institutes of Health, researchers plan to genetically modify the stem cells so they will not be rejected by the body as foreign cells. They will test whether the genetic modifications affect the functioning of the stem cells or the nanowires.

The research takes aim at finding a new way to treat heart disease, the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Researchers' ultimate goal is to develop "off-the-shelf" products that could be used to treat patients efficiently and effectively.

Ying Mei, a Clemson bioengineering professor, served as principal investigator on prior research into the proposed treatment and the new project.

"Heart tissue cannot repair itself in the same way as, for example, a cut on the skin, so it is important to find restorative therapies," he said. "Our approach using stem cells and silicon nanowires shows remarkable promise for treating heart damage, and we look forward to answering key questions that could help lead to clinical translation of this technology."

The research sharpens the focus on human pluripotent stem cells, which can be developed into any type of cell in the body, including heart muscle cells. That ability makes them an attractive option for replacing damaged and dead heart muscle, similar to the promise they show for restoring other parts of the body such as the intestine, pancreas, liver, retina, brain, and lungs.

Using human pluripotent stem cells in the heart comes with unique challenges. Researchers led by Mei launched a project in 2017 to begin addressing those challenges and reported their findings in 2023 in the journal Science Advances.

The team combined human pluripotent stem cells and silicon nanowires, which clump into ball-like shapes. The silicon nanowires, visible only by microscope, were key because they improved the electrical connectivity and overall function of the lab-grown tissue, researchers found.

The Science Advances article was titled, "Nanowired human cardiac organoid transplantation enables highly efficient and effective recovery of infarcted hearts."

That research set the stage to test the genetic modifications to the stem cells in the new project. The National Institutes of Health has been a key partner, funding the work that started in 2017 with $1.5 million and the new project with $2.6 million.

Senior personnel collaborating on the new project are: William Bridges of Clemson; Xiaojun Lian of Pennsylvania State University; and Kristine DeLeon-Pennell, Leonardo Ferreira and Jean Ruddy, all of the Medical University of South Carolina.

The prior research and new project are based in Charleston as part of the Clemson-MUSC Bioengineering Program, an initiative that embeds Clemson faculty and students on MUSC's campus.

"Our research is a team approach, and all of our members are vital to our success," Mei said. "The idea for the research came out of conversations I have had with collaborators at MUSC and Penn State. I look forward to deepening our partnership with this new project."