Your internal organs were swapped for new body parts when you were only 80. And that was just the beginning of your heart rejuvenation. Microscopic nanolabs were installed in your bloodstream to churn out telomerase, the enzyme that keeps new cells from showing telltale signs of age. The year is 2049, and the invasive procedures of 20th century cardiology have been transformed into preventive techniques that regulate body chemistry internally. So-called angiogenesis drugs succeed at growing new heart vessels, eliminating the need for many bypass surgeries.
Gene therapies can repair the damage after a heart attack and prevent massive cell death.
For example, instant diagnosis may be available by reading genetic codes from a patient who can be analyzed at home. In the early part of this century, we may be able to re-engineer 500,000 pig hearts to end the drought of transplant organs. That doesn't mean cardiology or cardiologists will become medical fossils. Beller says that while the death rate from heart disease will fall, aging baby boomers will create new demands on the medical system. Beller is chief of the cardiovascular division and vice chairman of the department of medicine at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center.