Scientists in Shanghai have successfully created the world’s first laboratory-grown sinoatrial node — the tiny cluster of cells that acts as the heart’s natural pacemaker.
The breakthrough could eventually allow doctors to replace electronic pacemakers with living biological tissue capable of regulating heart rhythms naturally. Researchers used human stem cells to create the structure, which generated electrical impulses similar to those found in healthy human hearts.
While clinical use remains years away, experts describe the achievement as one of the most important advances in regenerative medicine this year.
