Boy...I know I could use a few new parts!
Scientists 'grow' first functioning organ from reprogrammed cells
Experts create cells which can grow into a fully functioning organ
Research raises prospect of a future solution to organ problems
It signifies a dramatic step forward in the drive to end transplants
Hopes have been raised of a futuristic new treatment in which patients could grow their own new organs, after a breakthrough by British scientists.
Experts have managed to create cells which, once injected into the body, can grow into a fully functioning organ.
The research, conducted in mice, raises the prospect of a future solution to kidney problems, liver failure and heart defects.
Professor Clare Blackburn at the University of Edinburgh, who led the research, said: 'The ability to grow replacement organs from cells in the lab is one of the holy grails in regenerative medicine.
'By directly reprogramming cells we've managed to produce an artificial cell type that, when transplanted, can form a fully organised and functional organ.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2733415/Hopes-rise-growing-new-organs-body-Scientists-create-cells-injected-body-breakthrough-help-treat-liver-heart-defects.html
Sign me up!
Cosmo
Hell, I could use a new heart and lungs.... ;D
Quote from: Sgt.Rocknroll on August 28, 2014, 12:11:57 AM
Hell, I could use a new heart and lungs.... ;D
I could use some new joints...knee, hip...maybe some back parts and probably some new parts for my brain...or a whole new brain! lol
I've been following this type of research. In particular I expect them to be able to be able to grow bone marrow for leukemia patients from their own stem cells pretty soon.
Put me down for a new liver please. I want to continue to enjoy Scotch as long as possible. A nice glass of the family plonk.
(http://sr3.wine-searcher.net/images/labels/47/26/10134726t.jpg)
Considering the problems with transplants and rejection / anti rejection drugs, this is much more viable I think.
The other problem is that these organs also serve other functions, I.E.
Heart - pump, emotions.
Kidneys - filters, moral codes.
Stomach - processor, fear.
, , , and so on. These new organs would have to be "reprogramed" with the patients response patterns.
Did someone say SCOTCH? Make mine a double please. ;D
I am trying to keep all of my parts working.. don't want to start over...but some might..good luck
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/25/organ-thymus-embryonic-cells-video_n_5709981.html?utm_hp_ref=science
Scientists Create Working Organ From Scratch For First Time Ever
The Huffington Post | By David Freeman
Posted: 08/25/2014 2:16 pm EDT Updated: 08/27/2014 5:59 pm EDT
vid
In what's being hailed as a scientific first, researchers in Scotland have created a fully functional organ from scratch inside the body of a living animal.
The feat--the creation of a working thymus gland from "reprogrammed" embryonic cells--is seen as an important step toward the development of laboratory-grown organs and a potential fix for the chronic shortage of donor organs.
"The ability to grow replacement organs from cells in the lab is one of the 'holy grails' in regenerative medicine," Prof. Clare Blackburn, professor of tissue stem cell biology at the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and the leader of the team of researchers who grew the organ, said in a written statement. "This is an important first step towards the goal of generating a clinically useful artificial thymus in the lab."
The thymus, a gland located just under the breastbone, is a key player in the body's production of white blood cells known as T cells. People without a healthy thymus are unable to make enough T-cells and are thus highly vulnerable to cancer and to various infections.
For their research, Blackburn's team took cells from a mouse embryo and converted them into a completely different kind of thymus cell, according to the statement. When these cells were mixed with other types of thymus cells and transplanted into mice, these cells formed an entire thymus cell--one that not only looked like a healthy adult thymus but also was capable of producing T-cells.
In a video describing the research, Prof. Blackburn said lab-grown thymus glands might prove an important advance in the treatment of people whose immune systems have been weakened by age as well as of patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation.
"Obviously, we have a lot of further steps to go through before we'd be ready to begin to test whether this approach will be useful for patients," she said.
Scientists have been able to make portions of hearts, livers, and other organs, but not complete organs, The Telegraph reported.
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http://www.gizmag.com/lizard-tail-regrowth/33460/
SCIENCE
New understanding of lizard tails could allow humans to regrow body parts
By Ben Coxworth
August 21, 2014
If you ever had a pet lizard as a child, it was quite likely a green anole. As is the case with other lizards, they have the ability to break off their own tail when attacked by a predator, and then regrow it. Scientists from Arizona State University recently announced that they have cracked the code regarding that tail regrowth process, and are now hoping that it could be applied to the field of regenerative medicine.
According to Prof. Kenro Kusumi, lead author of a paper on the study, lizards are the most closely-related animals to humans that can regenerate entire appendages. They also share the same "genetic toolbox" as us, so it's theoretically possible that we could do what they do, if only we knew which genes to use and in what amounts.
Through molecular and computer analysis of anoles, it was discovered that they activate at least 326 genes in various locations throughout the tail, during the regeneration process. Among these are genes associated with wound healing, embryonic development and hormonal regulation.
Furthermore, the researchers identified one type of satellite cell that plays a key role in the process – humans also possess these cells, which are precursors to skeletal muscle cells.
ADVERTISEMENT"Using next-generation technologies to sequence all the genes expressed during regeneration, we have unlocked the mystery of what genes are needed to regrow the lizard tail," said Kusumi. "By following the genetic recipe for regeneration that is found in lizards, and then harnessing those same genes in human cells, it may be possible to regrow new cartilage, muscle or even spinal cord in the future."
The research paper was published this week in the journal PLOS One.
Source: Arizona State University
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2730005/Could-LIZARDS-key-regrowing-human-limbs-Scientists-identify-genes-needed-regenerate-reptiles-tail-say-recipe-used-humans.html
Could LIZARDS be the key to regrowing human limbs? Scientists identify genes needed to regenerate the reptile's tail - and say the 'recipe' could be used in humans
Scientists from Arizona State University studied the green anole lizard, which can re-grow its tail if it loses it in an attack
It has a unique pattern of tissue growth that's distributed throughout the tail
They found it turns on 326 genes in specific regions of the regenerating tail
'Genetic recipe' could be used to regrow new cartilage, muscle or even spinal cord for humans in the future
By Sarah Griffiths for MailOnline
Published: 13:02 EST, 20 August 2014 | Updated: 13:20 EST, 20 August 2014
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http://www.wired.com/2014/08/science-graphic-of-the-week-inside-a-lizards-regenerating-tail/
Science Graphic of the Week: Inside a Lizard's Regenerating Tail
By Nick Stockton
08.21.14 | 12:40 pm | Permalink
How about a new brain :o
The one I have seems to be defective :P
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