Comments on: Injecting Special Protein Could Make Hearts Heal Themselves

By: Angela

Angela — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 19:32:03 +0000

Hi Allison,

Thanks for clarifying. I assumed that the undesired cell replication was referring to cancer, and was being partially facetious while also wondering about breakthroughs in the cosmetic side of things.

Thanks for the post!

By: Rigby

Rigby — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:09:16 +0000

Allison, are human trials of this procedure (assuming success with pigs) likely within a decade or can we hope for something sooner?

By: Allison Bond

Allison Bond — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:29:31 +0000

Dear Angela, this is Allison, the author of the post.

Perhaps the wording in the third paragraph was a bit unclear… I’d like to clear up any confusion.

The scientists are worried that the growth hormone could cause cell replication in certain tissues to go awry, possibly leading to an increased risk of cancer. It’s highly unlikely the injections would increase overall breast size.

Thanks for reading!

By: Angela

Angela — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:24:09 +0000

Very exciting news! It seems to hold a great deal of promise for heart attack recovery, but I’ll remain cautiously optimistic until more research is done. Let’s make sure it won’t stimulate other cells (like cancer cells) to grow too!

I’m also intrigued by the last sentence of the third paragraph: “it could cause undesired cell replication in breast tissue or the nervous system.” So it could potentially also cause breast cells to increase as well? Could this possible replace saline or silicon implants one day in the future? That could also be great news for women who’ve had mastectomies, as well as those seeking to supplement what nature provided. If, of course, the research pans out.

By: QUASAR

QUASAR — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:58:23 +0000

WOOT!