Body Builders – How Scientists Are Creating New Organs
Posted November 13th, 2012
The creation of replacement organs in a laboratory is rapidly moving from the realm of science fiction to science fact. Already, tissue engineers have successfully created simple, hollow organs such as bladders and windpipes – and are working on more complicated organs like kidneys and livers. Here are the basics of this amazing process.
Scaffolding – A replacement organ must have the proper structure or “scaffold”. Currently, there are two scaffolding options: natural and synthetic. With natural scaffolding, a donor organ is stripped of all its cells, using a cleansing liquid that leaves the basic structure intact. The benefits of natural scaffolding are a precise structure and no artificial material that can cause scar tissue to form. However, it requires a donor, the time to strip away existing cells, and sizing can be an issue.
With synthetic scaffolding, scientists use porous plastic to create the initial organ structure. Pores allow the scaffolding to be seeded with stem cells. Synthetic scaffolding means organs are perfectly sized, but because it uses artificial material, the body may produce scar tissue that must be removed for the organ to remain functional.
Seeding – Regardless of scaffolding type, the next step is to seed the structure with stem cells that have been cultured in a solution of nutrients. This cell solution is dripped over the scaffolding in a type of incubator called a bioreactor, taking as little as 36 hours to complete. Using stem cells from the patient’s own bone marrow is best – this avoids organ rejection as well as the use of controversial embryonic stem cells. The bone marrow stem cells are a blank slate, possessing the ability to become specialized cells that take on the functions of any organ.
Implantation – Once the scaffolding has been sufficiently seeded with stem cells, doctors implant the structure in the patient. The patient then takes stem-cell-stimulating drugs to help the organ continue the regeneration process inside the body. While scientists have made great advances in understanding how stem cells work, they admit that what happens post-implantation is still somewhat of a mystery. “We are far away from understanding this process,” acknowledges Dr. Paolo Macchiarini of the Karolinksa Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.
While there are still many unknowns, there is one thing that scientists do know – the potential for this kind of work is enormous. While cost and complexity limit these procedures right now, the hopes for the future are many – from no longer having patients die while waiting on transplant lists to someday being able to use specialized drugs to enable the body to recreate an organ internally without scaffolding or surgical intervention.
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