'It's a targeted therapy that can be used to complement other procedures and improve chances of a normal recovery,' he added.

Khachigian explained that the heart muscle suffers damage at two distinct times during a heart attack, 'first when the initial blockage occurs causing the chest pain and second when the patient undergoes an intervention such as angioplasty or stenting to reopen the blocked artery'.

The technique represents an important potential advance in the treatment of heart disease, said the release.