Growing Body Parts From Human Cells

[okarol]

Growing Body Parts From Human Cells
Regenerative medicine centers are studying how we can grow body parts from human cells.

First Posted: 07-26-10 11:33 AM   |   Updated: 07-26-10 12:08 PM

Advances in regenerative medicine means it's possible for damaged body parts to be regrown from human cells, and 60 Minutes featured the growing area of study.

The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is working on this with all kinds of organs and parts of the body and hopes to fight the fact people are dying while on the transplant wait list.

Dr. Anthony Atala of the Wake Forest Institute told CBS the goal is to "provide replacement tissues and organs that can be used to help [such patients] survive."

Atala says some body parts are easier to recreate than others, such as the ear, though the hope is eventually all body parts can be regenerated.

So far, human bladders have already been replicated based on cells and replaced into the body. Each replication takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks.

WATCH the full feature on "Growing Body Parts From Human Cells" below:
http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=69016&sitesection=ndnsubss&VID=89541


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/26/growing-body-parts-from-h_n_659273.html

[Sluff]

I was watching this on television it is quite interesting.

[paris]

This is just up the road from me.  It is a great news article.  They have grown a heart valve too.  Grow me a kidney!! I will gladly be their guinea pig!!

[Sluff]

I hopefully for a more sizable.........ooops... I will keep it to myself..

[Des]

Sluff; ? bigger  kidney ?

[rocker]

I hopefully for a more sizable.........ooops... I will keep it to myself..

Excuse me....but what's the point of making it bigger if you keep it to yourself??!

[alrac]

just an article I found interesting...  http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/49002.php

Bioengineers from the Medical University of South Carolina and Clemson University believe their research has the potential to save the lives of thousands of patients desperately waiting for a kidney while, at the same time, cutting costs associated with kidney disease.

Using principles of "tissue self-assembly" (cells coming together to form actual tissues such as a kidney, heart, lung etc.) and stem cell research, scientists involved with the MUSC Bioengineered Kidney Project are testing the possibility of creating a new kidney from a patient's cells. The progress that already has been achieved with the project has scientists around the world excited about the potential.

"While other researchers are trying to grow kidney tissues slowly, the essence of the technological approach employed in the MUSC Bioengineered Kidney Project is rapid directed tissue self-assembly, which is based on exploration of the tissue fusion phenomenon," said Roger Markwald, Ph.D., Chair of the MUSC Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy.

"Bioengineering of living human kidneys will be especially good news for patients with end-stage kidney disease and also will directly address healthcare disparities as kidney disease occurs more frequently in minority populations in South Carolina," said John Raymond, M.D., Ph.D., MUSC Provost and Vice President for Research. "This project will place MUSC on the national and world landscape as one of the leading institutes in the area of bioengineering and regenerative medicine."

About 60,000 patients in the U.S. are currently waiting to receive a kidney. Sadly, many will likely die before a suitable donor is found. Although modern dialysis is designed to save lives, it is both physically and financially draining on patients and families. The cost of maintaining the life of one patient with end-stage kidney disease is around $250,000. Kidney disease consumes 6 percent of Medicare expenditures.

Vladimir Mironov, Ph.D., Director for MUSC's Bioprinting Research Center, is confident in the feasibility of the ongoing project. He said that although sustainable and sufficient project funding is important, desirable and necessary, absolute conviction and persistence can make the biggest difference.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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[Zach]

A PR piece that really said nothing but vague ideas and theories.
They seem to be fishing for investment dollars!

[jdwills83]

I have contacted Dr. Anthony Atala and have talked with assistant via email. According to his assistant they are pioneering the way to growing organs for humans. Unfortunately the time it takes to put test these organs in human trials could take years.  This means it could be 10-20 years before its even an acceptable form of treatment for ESRD. I was told my contact information was taken down and I would be contacted once they moved forward with human trials.

This is an exciting time for science.