A scientist and professor at the University of Texas at Arlington is developing a Band-Aid-like patch that will potentially help victims of heart attacks recover more quickly.
According to the Dallas Morning News, professor of bioengineering Yi Hong is designing the patch, which is placed over the scar tissue left behind by a heart attack.
The patches are “infused with nanoparticles carrying regenerative chemicals” that help spur healing, and are meant to reduce scarring, encourage new cardiac muscle, and help restore the heart’s electrical rhythm.
Hong says the patches stay in place, and are gradually degradable, meaning that over time they will “eventually disappear into the body.”
Hong envisions placing the patch with a minimally invasive procedure, where no open-heart surgery required.
His team is currently testing the durability of the patch in the lab while fine-tuning its design, though early animal studies have been promising.
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