Organ Scaffolding: Growing Organs for Transplants in Humans

[Evo]

I watched an interesting show on tv about how they are removing cells for organs, such as the heart, lungs, etc... and leaving the scaffold. They can then introduce new cells, donated from the subject to receive the transplant. They showed an adult woman that had a new trachea implanted formed with her own cells on a donated scaffold.

This article includes a short video that shows the process with rat lungs which were created.

In the show, they said that organs like the liver, etc... we're only a few decades away from becoming a reality for humans. (if funding isn't cut off)

http://singularityhub.com/2010/07/2...breathe-after-transplantation-in-rats-video/#

 

[misnderstudge]

I think they are trying to move away from Any donated parts and start using bio-chemical grown in lab scaffolds. I think they have used some in the past on animals such as mice but i think it will take time before it will be tested on humans

 

[Studiot]

Thank you, Evo, for highlighting this subject -It is most interesting.

 

[Lievo]

they said that organs like the liver, etc... were only a few decades away from becoming a reality for humans. (if funding isn't cut off)

Very interesting and worst funding, but very difficult for many reasons. I'm afraid a few decades means in no time one can predict.

 

[Evo]

Very interesting and worst funding, but very difficult for many reasons. I'm afraid a few decades means in no time one can predict.

Actually, I was being cautious, they were not, they were saying 10-20 years for most of it. They are already replacing human tracheas with this technology. More complex organs like the heart, don't know.

Heart http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/08/heartregen/

 

[Evo]

I think they are trying to move away from Any donated parts and start using bio-chemical grown in lab scaffolds. I think they have used some in the past on animals such as mice but i think it will take time before it will be tested on humans

There is also nanotechnology for the scaffolds. If I find some good articles, I'll add them.

 

[misnderstudge]

There are many book's out now on the current tech. But only some labs will use nanotech because they can make a sort of scaffold without the use of nanotech some how

 

[Lievo]

they were saying 10-20 years for most of it.

I'm skeptical but of course would enjoy being wrong.

They are already replacing human tracheas with this technology. More complex organs like the heart, don't know.

Yes, a griet achievment. Skin (very partially) and ear lobes can be replaced too. For ear lobes the result is very satisfacting, but for the heart and any more complex organ (including skin proper), reaching a functionnal organ is far more complicated. For heart specifically, if I remember well it has been done in vitro but the resulting hearts were very weak, not usuable for tranplantation.

 

[misnderstudge]

Yeah that is right they did it with pigs and the cells did not stick together they did transplant because if the bp went up the heart would rip that is why the are trying to use just donated parts for now there was article in papers about two years ago in the uk not sure if anyone knows dates if they may have read

 

[Evo]

National Geographic will have a show on this technology on Monday Feb 7th at 10E/9C.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/4828/Overview#tab-Photos/0

 

[flintsmith]

I want to throw out an experience I had as I think it relates.

My cat meowed plaintively for a couple days then revealed that she had a HUGE abcess near her anus. There was a crater. There was a thin, say 6mm wide, strip of dead skin holding together the sides of a 6cm bloody, gory wound. The vet gave a quote of $800, but we told her that it wasn't going to happen that way. With antibiotics from the vet and a little Zithromax thrown in, it just healed right up. That 6mm strip held the sides together and the two holes closed up. The strip came back to life and it all just put itself back together! Even before the fur grew back there was no sign of the wound.

I was shocked at the effectiveness of cat-skin healing compared to ours. One day a huge wound, the next week healed, the next week gone without a trace. If I were interested in pursuing this field, that's where I would start.

I expect that dead strip was used as a scaffold by the skin-regenerating cells. We were glad that we had denied the vet, and not just because of the saved money.

If I ever get a big burn, I want stem-cell-spray with super cat-powered cells.

 

[nismaratwork]

Well, this isn't quite the same, but I think you'll enjoy it if you're not already familiar with this.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/innovation/02/19/bioprinting.wounded.soldiers/index.html?hpt=C1

I want to have my skin printed in zebra stripes.

 

[Lievo]

The project is in pre-clinical phases

Pre-clinical is very good! Too bad the hype about doing this on battlefield. What would be interesting is to know the kind of burn injuries that can be adressed by this technic. If it's superficial layers only, this is small step big hype. If they can replace the deep layers of the skin, this is a major progress.

 

[nismaratwork]

Pre-clinical is very good! Too bad the hype about doing this on battlefield. What would be interesting is to know the kind of burn injuries that can be adressed by this technic. If it's superficial layers only, this is small step big hype. If they can replace the deep layers of the skin, this is a major progress.

From what I've read elsewhere, they're able to prepare the full range of the dermis, once the area is debraded. As you say, "battlefield" is a bad joke, but that also assumes the current battles we're in. Frankly, in Iraq or Afghanistan, I'd be more worried about TBI or outright catastrophic amputation.

Even if this only works half as well as advertised, it would be a huge leap on harvesting skin, separating, culturing, incubating... repeat... repeat. In the extreme, it's the kind of technology that would seem NECESSARY for any dream of a "battlefield robot doctor" that does more than drag you to cover.

Still, pre-clinical has to have some hype... just the nature of the beast. When they say "battlefield", I take that as, "We would happily except DoD funding!"

 

[Lievo]

just the nature of the beast. When they say "battlefield", I take that as, "We would happily except DoD funding!"

Well said... 'hello DARPA'

From what I've read elsewhere, they're able to prepare the full range of the dermis, once the area is debraded.

Where did you saw it? I can't find http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?as...y"&as_publication=&as_ylo=2003&as_yhi=&hl=fr".

 

[nismaratwork]

Well said... 'hello DARPA'


Where did you saw it? I can't find http://scholar.google.ca/scholar?as...y"&as_publication=&as_ylo=2003&as_yhi=&hl=fr".

Sorry, I was misleading there... it's nothing definite, but when you hear them talking about how they plan to use it, the need for a scaffold for superficial layers seems needless, unless it's a VAST superficial burn.

http://www.livescience.com/118-printable-skin-inkjet-breakthrough-human-tissue.html

and video!

 

[Lievo]

Ok thanks to your video I could trace it https://ccc.amedd.army.mil/conferences/2009/posters/RM9.pdf" . We'll have to wait however: they are still presenting very preliminary results (one single mice per group?) following what I guess is clean skin removal. That's limitated to parts of the derma and epiderma, but hey one has to start somewhere. It would be nice to figure out whether these skins get innervated and if new blood vessel forms.

 

[nismaratwork]

Ok thanks to your video I could trace it https://ccc.amedd.army.mil/conferences/2009/posters/RM9.pdf" . We'll have to wait however: they are still presenting very preliminary results (one single mice per group?) following what I guess is clean skin removal. That's limitated to parts of the derma and epiderma, but hey one has to start somewhere. It would be nice to figure out whether these skins get innervated and if new blood vessel forms.

New blood vessles... that's going to be tough I'd guess. As for the skin removal, debrading is necesary in most cases whether or not an exotic process will be used in the repair.

You make good points; this is very much "wait and see", but it's a profoundly exciting one. I'm glad that video led somewhere too! If you find any more about this, please do share; I'll do the same.