Researchers Grow Miniature, Working Human Livers in the Lab
31 replies, posted
[QUOTE]Research presented at Sunday’s American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Boston marked a preliminary but potentially groundbreaking development in the search for the lab-engineered organs of the future. Scientists at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have engineered the first functioning miniature livers from human liver cells ever created in a lab setting. The technique could open up new avenues for engineering a range of vital tissues in the lab.
To create the mini livers, the team took animal livers and washed out the animal cells with a mild detergent, a method known as “decellularization” that leaves behind only the cellular scaffold that gives the organ its structure. They then piped human cells into place via the natural vessel network that remains in the liver after the decellularization process. Connected to a bioreactor – a machine that mimics the conditions inside a living body by feeding nutrients and oxygen to the organ – the human cells began to form human liver tissue, albeit in miniature stature.
The final goal of this research, of course, is to find a means to engineer donor livers in the lab to close the supply-demand gap between those who need livers for transplant and the shortage of donor organs on hand. But engineered livers could also be used to test drugs for safety and efficacy in the lab.
Animal livers have been created in the lab using this process before, but it was never clear if researchers could do the same with human cells. Now that they’ve demonstrated the ability, the next step will be to get one into a living animal and see how it functions. Then, ostensibly, they’ll try to grow larger, more complex organs equivalent to full-grown human organs. As such, the era of made-to-order livers is still a ways off. But this important step forward for bio-engineering could contribute not only to lab-grown livers, but also to other engineered tissues that are in short supply, like kidneys or pancreases. [/QUOTE]
Source: [url]http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/researchers-grow-miniature-engineered-human-livers-lab-first-time[/url]
Don't need to worry about drinking anymore :cheers:
Though this has probably been posted before, it is indeed awesome.
I would like three.
[QUOTE=ironman17;25785545]Though this has probably been posted before, it is indeed awesome.[/QUOTE]
I must of missed it, sorry :saddowns:
I'm probably just throwing darts in the dark here, but would multiple small livers do a better or worse job than one big liver? My money's on the latter, but if it were the former, then Liver Clusters would be hot on the Implant Market, especially for boozehounds with failing livers.
[QUOTE=ironman17;25785684]I'm probably just throwing darts in the dark here, but would multiple small livers do a better or worse job than one big liver? My money's on the latter, but if it were the former, then Liver Clusters would be hot on the Implant Market, especially for boozehounds with failing livers.[/QUOTE]
Wouldn't that be more of a strain on the body? How would the body react to 5 small livers when it can easily reject a large one.
Liver la vida loca.
Miniature livers with miniature fava beans, anyone?
watch people get drunk over this and cause an even bigger supply/demand gap
can we eat them?
I've always dreamed of dabbling in cannibalism.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;25785631]I must of missed it, sorry :saddowns:[/QUOTE]
Must HAVE.
[QUOTE=spacedooky;25799555]Miniature livers with miniature fava beans, anyone?[/QUOTE]
With a nice miniature Chianti?
[QUOTE=venn177;25799742]Must HAVE.[/QUOTE]
Sometimes I think they should add a "Grammar Nazi" rating.
Gotta' love medical science.
I hope they make minature versions of every part of a person. Then we can make minature people.
So many toy possibilities!
[QUOTE=sloppy_joes;25799661]can we eat them?
I've always dreamed of dabbling in cannibalism.[/QUOTE]
Um...it's still illegal even if it's grown in a lab.
[QUOTE=ironman17;25785684]I'm probably just throwing darts in the dark here, but would multiple small livers do a better or worse job than one big liver? My money's on the latter, but if it were the former, then Liver Clusters would be hot on the Implant Market, especially for boozehounds with failing livers.[/QUOTE]
Well, a 2.5 GHz Dual-Core processor can outperform a Single Core 3.1GHz :downs:
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;25785518]Don't need to worry about drinking anymore :cheers:[/QUOTE] Alcohol damages the brain as well.
[QUOTE=ironman17;25785684]I'm probably just throwing darts in the dark here, but would multiple small livers do a better or worse job than one big liver? My money's on the latter, but if it were the former, then Liver Clusters would be hot on the Implant Market, especially for boozehounds with failing livers.[/QUOTE]
Assuming that the body doesn't reject the livers then it could work, maybe, assuming that the mini livers have a higher working surface area to the larger liver.
[QUOTE=bravehat;25812217]Assuming that the body doesn't reject the livers then it could work, maybe, assuming that the mini livers have a higher working surface area to the larger liver.[/QUOTE]
They could easily custom make the livers once they get the process down properly. Have the "shell" made, then pipe some cells from the person who needs to liver. Theoretically, the body should recognize it as its own liver.
Well the liver won't totally die so they could easily just strip off some healthy bits and use the genetic material from that to manufacture several super livers.
[QUOTE=Gordon 154;25812144]Alcohol damages the brain as well.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but I won't care if I'm brain damaged. 'Cause I'll be brain damaged.
:downs:
I dont like this in a way, because people would think "hey, we can have our organs replaced, so lets engage in all sorts of irresponsible behaviour!"
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;25785518]Don't need to worry about drinking anymore :cheers:[/QUOTE]
If you happen to be very very short.
Hasn't Liverpool University been doing this for ages now?
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;25812489]Yeah, but I won't care if I'm brain damaged. 'Cause I'll be brain damaged.
:downs:[/QUOTE]
Not true, you can recognize you have a diminished mental capacity but not understand exactly how.
I thought they already did this with hearts which is a lot more impressive than a liver which is good at regenerating anyway.
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;25812916]Not true, you can recognize you have a diminished mental capacity but not understand exactly how.[/QUOTE]
Ah, but recognizing =/= caring.
[QUOTE=Emperor Scorpious II;25813010]Ah, but recognizing =/= caring.[/QUOTE]
I'd certainly care if I realized I lost any potential to make something of myself.
[QUOTE=Canuhearme?;25813048]I'd certainly care if I realized I lost any potential to make something of myself.[/QUOTE]
Then I wouldn't be drinking all that much to begin with.
Sorry, you need to Log In to post a reply to this thread.