Regenerating Body Parts: A “Magic” DustPOSTED: 1:34 pm EDT October 3, 2008
Currently, the only way to replace lost body parts is to use donor tissue/organs or a man-made prosthesis. But scientists are getting closer to developing natural replacements.
Researchers with the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative have developed a special “powder” they are testing as a springboard for the growth of lost tissue. The powder is made from extracellular matrix (ECM), a type of tissue taken from a pig’s bladder. ECM is a supporting scaffold secreted by cells. It’s made of protein fibers (collagen, elastin, fibrillin, fibronectin and laminin) and proteoglycans (a protein core with attached chains of polysaccharide molecules). The ECM regulates cell division and growth, survival and differentiation of stem cells into specific types of cells.
To create the powder, the pig cells are spun, dried and mashed. When the material is placed over a wound, the stem cells circulating in the body recognize the empty matrix and begin moving into the area. The matrix then signals the stem cells to differentiate into whatever specific cells are needed to “heal” the area. For example, placing the powder next to a bone spurs the development of bone cells. Near a vessel, the power stimulates the growth of cells that form new vessels.
Help for Injured Soldiers
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, more than 33,000 servicemen and women have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. An important cause of injury and death are improvised exploding devices (IEDs), which are often planted in roadways or carried by suicide bombers to a targeted location. Soldiers who survive an IED explosion can have devastating injuries, from severe burns to traumatic brain injury and loss of limbs.
Now, researchers with the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh, PA have teamed up with the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AFRIM) to test the use of the regenerative medicine powder for soldiers who have lost body parts. First, the skin overlying the target area is removed. Then, the ECM, in the form of a powder, gel or hardened substance, is placed on the tissue.
Stephen Badylak, D.V.M., M.D., Ph.D. is a Regenerative Medicine Researcher at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He says, hopefully, once the ECM is in contact with the body, it will spur the growth of specific cells to form whatever tissue needs to be replaced, whether it’s bone, blood vessels, nerves or other tissue.
The first soldier who volunteered to test the powder lost several fingers. After about two weeks, he says he started noticing the appearance of small bumps growing in the area. It’s only a small gain. However, Steven Wolf, M.D., a Surgeon with Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonia, TX, says even if doctors can replace a small portion of a lost finger, it will enable a patient to regain some grip and improve cosmetic appearance of the finger and hand.
Wolf says the regenerative medicine powder research is still very new. Scientists are trying to understand how the process works and how it can be improved. It will be quite some time before doctors can grow a complete limb or other body part. In the future, medics may be able to use it in the field to start treatment immediately after the injury. Other studies are looking at using the ECM powder to replace portions of muscle and the abdominal wall.
# If the technology proves to be useful, regenerative medicine is expected to have a big market. Currently, there are more than 99,000 people on the U.S. transplant list waiting for a donor organ. In addition, the ability to grow replacement body parts may provide hope for the thousands of Americans suffering from chronic conditions, like diseases of the liver, kidney, heart and lung. For information about the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative, go to
http://www.ptei.org# For information on research for treatment and care of injured soldiers: United States Army Institute of Surgical Research, Medical Research and Material Command
# The Department of Defense has established a new resource center for wounded soldiers, families and caregivers, called the Wounded Warrior Resource Center. It is scheduled to open on October 1, 2008. For information, called (800) 342-9647, or visit:
http://www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil/portal/page/itc/MHF/MHF_HOME_1?section_id=20.40.500.393.0.0.0.0.0http://www.wsoctv.com/health/17618329/detail.html
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