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MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGH: Human organ constructed and implanted
Many patients don’t survive the waiting list for a donor organ.
Recently, medical community announced that a patient received a trachea (“windpipe”) that was created with the patient’s own stem cells. (Stem cells are a versatile type of cell that can transform into many types of cells. http://1.usa.gov/ubcAp)
The trachea was constructed with an artificial “skeleton” of a spongy material which was then immersed in a solution of stem cells. The cells grew into the sponge material, creating a living organ in less than two weeks. The resulting trachea was then implanted into the patient (who was suffering from tracheal cancer). The patient’s body accepted new-formed organ as if it was the original trachea.
In theory, the same process could be used to create other, more complex organs: glands, liver, lungs, heart, etc.
This is lot like when the NASA space program started in 1960s with small experiments of unmanned flights. We are very early in the stages of ‘manufacturing human organs’ as an industry. But based on this breakthrough, it is very likely within next 25 years, that our children easily will have access to such constructed organs as easy as knee surgery today.
For more information and additional photos, take a look at a recent article at CNN http://bit.ly/qAibNI.
Source: CNN
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Tags: Inventions