But, the researchers claimed that they may be just a decade away from developing a pill which could help the heart repair itself after an attack, the Daily Telegraph reported.
According to the researchers, they have discovered a protein, known as thymosin Beta 4 and key to heart growth in the young, which appears to reawaken dormant stem cells in the organ of adults.
Experiments on mice showed that it improved the performance of the heart by as much as 25 per cent. Now, they hope to begin human trials in a few years.
Lead researcher Professor Paul Riley said: "I could envisage a patient known to be at risk of a heart attack - either because of family history or warning signs spotted by their GP - taking an oral tablet, along the lines of a statin, which would prime their heart so that if they had a heart attack, the damage could be repaired."
