A group of researchers in Israel, the United States and other nations have made important advances in the rapidly-expanding field of “regenerative medicine,” outlining for the first time connections in genetic regulation that normally prevent birth defects in heart and facial muscles. Some of these problems are surprisingly common – about 1 percent of all people have a congenital heart defect. This basic research will provide a road map to ultimately allow scientists to grow the cell types needed to repair such defects, from stem cells that can be generated from a person’s own body.
