Physicians now have no way to repair damaged heart tissue. Coronary bypasses and angioplasties just improve the plumbing. The goal of the Seattle-based project is to come up with replacement parts. We'll use a patient's own cells to prevent them from ever needing a heart transplant. The scaffolding material will be seeded with cardiac cells and placed in a bioreactor, which providers proper temperature and nutrients for cell growth.
Scientists know how to grow cells.
Tissue, the next step, remains a problem. We're going to grow a heart.