Two Japanese universities say doctors have transplanted sheets of heart muscle cells derived from a special type of stem cell into a heart disease patient.

Osaka University and Kyushu University announced on Tuesday that the operation was conducted in mid-January at Kyushu University in southwestern Japan.

The procedure involved placing sheets of heart muscle cells made from iPS cells on the surface of the heart of a man in his 50s suffering from ischemic cardiomyopathy.

This type of stem cell can grow into various kinds of tissue and organs.

The sheets were developed by a team led by Osaka University.

For the latest procedure, they were created at a facility in Osaka and transported to Kyushu University.

The patient is said to be recovering well and left the hospital on Tuesday.

The transplant operation at Kyushu University was the second conducted outside Osaka University.

The team plans to transplant the cell sheets into eight patients, and apply for certification for insurance-covered treatment if the safety and efficacy of the procedure is confirmed.

Kyushu University Professor Shiose Akira said it was good to confirm that the operation can be carried out safely at his university, which is a hub for heart disease treatment in the Kyushu region.

Osaka University Professor Sawa Yoshiki said he will step up efforts to make the treatment available to more patients.