Cambridge University: The Breakthrough Reversing Heart Attack Damage

Nov 9, 2026 | After a heart attack, up to one billion heart cells can be lost. Unlike most cells in our body, heart cells can’t fix themselves when damaged. This reduces the strength of the heart and can lead to heart failure and ultimately death. Now scientists have developed a treatment that ‘reawakens’ heart muscle cells so they start to divide and help repair damaged muscle following a heart attack.

It has shown promising results in animal trials, and the next step is to refine it and test its safety and effectiveness in humans. This is an exciting step towards a potential curative treatment for heart disease, which could improve the quality of life of millions of people around the world.

This research involved the Department of Pharmacology, Gurdon Institute, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and AstraZeneca.


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