WORCESTER, Massachusetts (KRON) — A team of scientists transformed spinach leaves into beating heart tissue.
Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts say they came up with the idea over lunch.
First, they used detergent to strip the spinach leaves of their cells, turning them translucent.
Then, they seeded the spinach veins with human heart tissue.
After several days, the muscle cells began to beat. The liquid is dye–not blood.
Scientists hope their research could someday help treat heart attack patients.
The study is published in the Journal Biomaterials.