An international team of researchers claimed it has successfully identified a protein that can help heart muscle cells to reverse the damage after a heart attack. According to the researchers, the protein is capable of repairing cardiac muscle after a heart attack.

To understand the benefits of the protein, the researchers conducted an experiment on seriously ill mice and pigs. The mice and pigs started to recover within just two weeks after suffering heart attacks, the researchers said.

While providing more information on the treatment, Dr Pilar Ruiz-Lozano, researcher from Stanford University in the United States and lead author of the study, said, “This finding opens the door to a completely revolutionary treatment. There is currently no effective treatment to reverse the scarring in the heart after heart attacks”.

The researchers from the Stanford University identified a protein, follistatin-like 1. According to the researchers, the protein was produced in the epicardium in healthy hearts, but it went missing after a heart attack. In mice and pigs, suffering heart attack, the protein was restored through a bioengineered collagen patch that was attached to tissue of heart. After the restoration, the protein had an astonishing effect on the seriously ill animals, the researchers said.

The researchers said the protein helped the heart muscle cells to start reproducing within just two to four weeks, and the seriously ill animals started recovering heart function. Now, the researchers hope that the procedure could be used to treat human suffered heart attack.