Tissue engineering: How to build a heart

Nature News ^ | 03 July 2013 | Brendan Maher

[neverdem]

With thousands of people in need of heart transplants, researchers are trying to grow new organs.

Doris Taylor doesn't take it as an insult when people call her Dr Frankenstein. “It was actually one of the bigger compliments I've gotten,” she says — an affirmation that her research is pushing the boundaries of the possible. Given the nature of her work as director of regenerative medicine research at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, Taylor has to admit that the comparison is apt. She regularly harvests organs such as hearts and lungs from the newly dead, re-engineers them starting from the cells and attempts to bring them back to life in the hope that they might beat or breathe again in the living.

Taylor is in the vanguard of researchers looking to engineer entire new organs, to enable transplants without the risk of rejection by the recipient's immune system. The strategy is simple enough in principle. First remove all the cells from a dead organ — it does not even have to be from a human — then take the protein scaffold left behind and repopulate it with stem cells immunologically matched to the patient in need. Voilà! The crippling shortage of transplantable organs around the world is solved.

In practice, however, the process is beset with tremendous challenges. Researchers have had some success with growing and transplanting hollow, relatively simple organs such as tracheas and bladders (see go.nature.com/zvuxed). But growing solid organs such as kidneys or lungs means getting dozens of cell types into exactly the right positions, and simultaneously growing complete networks of blood vessels to keep them alive. The new organs must be sterile, able to grow if the patient is young, and at least nominally able to repair themselves. Most importantly, they have to work...

[neverdem]

There's a video at the source.

N.B. A 3D printer was used according to the second reference.

[neverdem]

Miniature human liver grown in mice

FReepmail me if you want on or off my stem cell/regenerative medicine ping list.

[Snoopers-868th]

She regularly harvests organs such as hearts and lungs from the newly dead, re-engineers. . .

Doesn't say these organs are donated.

[neverdem]

Read the linked editorial at the source.

[Snoopers-868th]

Still doesn’t say it was donated. Shortage means change the policy/law to automatic donation leaving people to opt-out if they choose not to donate. But who knows what is simply “taken” since one cannot be with the body at all times prior to burial of cremation.

We truly do have Frankenstein medicine.

[neverdem]

Still doesn’t say it was donated. Shortage means change the policy/law to automatic donation leaving people to opt-out if they choose not to donate. But who knows what is simply “taken” since one cannot be with the body at all times prior to burial of cremation.

We truly do have Frankenstein medicine.

"And donor hearts are rare, because they are often damaged by disease or resuscitation efforts, so a steady supply of bioengineered organs would be welcome."

They are donated.

[1010RD]

Outstanding and the rich will likely pay for the research as they grow replacement organs for their own use. Of course, liberals will see that as unfair and discriminatory. They’ll tax it and block it, thus harming everyone equally.

I think this research will help to override the sensitive feelings many people have about organ donors and the government created shortage of available transplants.