A team of researchers at Korea University Anam Hospital has developed fat stem-cell sheets for the first time in the world, presenting a new treatment for myocardial infarction, the hospital said Tuesday.

They researchers developed a method to make and culture sophisticated and stable stem cell sheets, opening the way to apply it to a new, innovative remedy that makes a heart reconstruct from an acute myocardial infarction, it said. Professors Lim Do-seon, Ju Hyeong-jun and Kim Jong-ho of the hospital’s Department of Cardiology conducted the research project.

In conventional stem cell therapy, researchers transplanted stem cells into a syringe, and the transplanted stem cells survive in the body so that they can grow into the desired cell (stem cells generally bind to existing tissues), proliferate and differentiate into healthy cells. Throughout these phases, researchers expect it to produce therapeutic effects with only about 1 percent of probability.

However, the new treatment developed by the research team directly attaches and transplants a highly elaborated cultured stem cell sheet to a laceration, making it possible to perform basic and effective treatment based on a survival rate of 90 percent or more, according to the press release issued by the hospital.

"This new therapy is expected to produce faster blood vessel regeneration with higher growth factors and a higher rate of engraftment." Professor Lim, the head researcher, said. "It will provide an opportunity to improve stem cell therapy." He noted new blood vessel regeneration in the myocardial infarction area has reportedly increased 11 percent more than the control group, and more than 6 percent than the conventional stem cell injection.

“This study is of importance not only for the treatment but also for the production and cultivation of stem cell sheets, because we found the optimal culture method,” said Professor Kim, the first author of the study. "Through this study, we have obtained the technique of producing the stem cell sheet of diverse cell layers and found the optimal thickness of the implantable stem cell sheet. Layer stem cell sheet was the most stable cultured and most efficient after engraftment. "

The study was part of the advanced medical technology development (stem cell regeneration medical care) project funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, drawing keen interests from the research community. It has obtained local and foreign patents on stem cell support-based sheet production and cultivation methods. Tissue Engineering,” an authoritative international journal, published the study as a cover paper of its latest issue, reflecting interests of international academic community as well