Bacterial lasso gets to the heart of stem cell retention problem

A picture of Streptococcus gordonii

Source: © Adam Periman/University of Bristol

A sticky bacterial protein on the surface of stem cells increases homing and retention on damaged heart tissue

Sticky bacterial proteins called adhesins can help stem cells home in on and repair damaged heart tissue, new research shows.1 The findings could form the basis of a new method for treating damage caused by heart attacks.