Mending a Broken Heart
By: Ben Brumfield | Categories: Alumni Achievements
By this time tomorrow, your heart will have beaten 100,000 times. “It’s an amazing electromechanical pump that keeps on going in some people for 60, 70, or 80 years without needing a single repair,” says Ajit Yoganathan, a Regents Professor at Georgia Tech. Institute researchers—engineers, scientists and doctors—are working hard to make sure it stays beating in numerous ways. A collagen patch infused with regenerative protein could treat a heart attack. An RNA injection could replace electronic pacemaker. Stem cell injections could strengthen babies’ hearts before surgery. A-fib medication could be delivered straight to the heart with few side effects. A wearable monitor could alert doctors when it’s time to change medications. All these treatments and more are being investigated by Tech experts. And while they are not yet available for use on patients, they show real promise.
