Science and Technology Daily News (Reporter Liu Xia) A scientific research team led by scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the National Heart and Lung Institute of Imperial College London has drawn the most detailed and comprehensive map of human heart cells so far, including cells of the cardiac conduction system where the heart originated, providing a valuable reference for the study of heart diseases and the design of potential therapies. Relevant research papers were published in the "Nature" magazine published on July 12.
New research maps eight regions of the human heart, 75 different cell states, and maps the cells of the heart's conduction system in unprecedented detail. The cardiac conduction system is critical for the heart to beat regularly, but the cells that make it up are poorly understood. By defining the characteristics of these cells and the multicellular niche they occupy, the latest research sheds new light on heart development and could help in the future to develop better and more targeted therapies against cardiac arrhythmias.
Using spatial transcriptomics, the research team also learned for the first time how these heart cells communicate with each other. The latest atlas acts like a molecular guide, showing what healthy cells look like and providing an important reference for studying heart disease.
The team also developed new computational tools that provide insight into the effects of drugs on heart rate to predict drug targets and possible side effects of drugs. The
researchers pointed out that this human heart cell atlas reveals the microscopic anatomy of the heart in detail, including the cardiac conduction system that realizes each heartbeat, and is a valuable reference for studying heart diseases and designing potential treatments. In addition, the new computational tool could help repurpose existing drugs to treat other tissue diseases.
This research is part of the international Human Cell Atlas (HCA) initiative, which aims to map every cell type in the human body to change the understanding of health and disease.
