Scientists rebuild bladders; hearts could be grown later
Jeff Donn
Associated Press
Detroit Free Press
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Boston (US):
For the first time, scientists have rebuilt a complex human organ, the bladder, in seven young patients using live tissue grown in the lab -- a breakthrough that could hold exciting promise for someday regenerating ailing hearts and other organs.Only simpler tissues -- skin, bone and cartilage -- have been lab-grown and transplanted in the past.This is the first time that a more intricate organ has been mostly replaced with tissue grown from the patient's own cells.
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See Also:
Organs Engineered in a Lab
Hopes rise of growing human organs after bladder successes
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"This suggests that tissue engineering may one day be a solution to the shortage of donor organs in this country for those needing transplants," said Dr. Anthony Atala, the lead researcher.He said he believes the work provides a model for growing other tissues and organs.
The bladder transplants, performed on seven patients ages 4 to 19, were being reported online today in the British medical journal Lancet.
The research team at Children's Hospital in Boston did the first procedure in 1999 but wanted to make sure it would work on others.
Even for people with bladder disease -- and there are an estimated 35 million in the United States alone -- Atala's technique requires testing on more patients and for longer times, researchers say.Still, he called the work "a tremendous, tremendous advance."
Apr 04, 2006
Jeff Donn
Associated Press
Detroit Free Press
_____________
Boston (US):
For the first time, scientists have rebuilt a complex human organ, the bladder, in seven young patients using live tissue grown in the lab -- a breakthrough that could hold exciting promise for someday regenerating ailing hearts and other organs.Only simpler tissues -- skin, bone and cartilage -- have been lab-grown and transplanted in the past.This is the first time that a more intricate organ has been mostly replaced with tissue grown from the patient's own cells.
_______________
See Also:
Organs Engineered in a Lab
Hopes rise of growing human organs after bladder successes
_______________
"This suggests that tissue engineering may one day be a solution to the shortage of donor organs in this country for those needing transplants," said Dr. Anthony Atala, the lead researcher.He said he believes the work provides a model for growing other tissues and organs.
The bladder transplants, performed on seven patients ages 4 to 19, were being reported online today in the British medical journal Lancet.
The research team at Children's Hospital in Boston did the first procedure in 1999 but wanted to make sure it would work on others.
Even for people with bladder disease -- and there are an estimated 35 million in the United States alone -- Atala's technique requires testing on more patients and for longer times, researchers say.Still, he called the work "a tremendous, tremendous advance."
Apr 04, 2006
