MIT scientists have cultured small pieces of heart tissue which beat in the same way as the organ.

The approach involves seeding cardiac cells from a rat onto a 3D polymer scaffold, which slowly biodegrades as the cells develop into a full tissue.

The cell/scaffold constructs were bathed in a medium that supplies nutrients and gases, then were stimulated with electrical signals.

The key might be this electrical stimulation that helps condition the cells so that they communicate with each other and contract in a synchronized form.

The next stage will be to try to create samples of tissue that are the right thickness for potential use in transplants.

The work could lead to new ways of repairing heart damage since heart muscle cells cannot regenerate after injury and heart cells are difficult to culture by conventional methods.

Video of the heart tissue beating.

Via BBC News.