Scientists have for the first time grown a complex, fully functional organ from scratch in a living animal by transplanting cells that were originally created in a laboratory.
The advance could in future aid the development of ‘lab-grown’ replacement organs.
Researchers from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, at the University of Edinburgh, took cells called fibroblasts from a mouse embryo and converted them directly into a completely unrelated type of cell – specialised thymus cells- using a technique called ‘reprogramming’. When mixed with other thymus cell types and transplanted into mice, these cells formed a replacement organ that had the same structure, complexity and function as a healthy native adult thymus. The reprogrammed cells were also capable of producing T cells – a type of white blood cell important for fighting infection – in the lab.
The researchers hope that with further refinement their lab-made cells could form the basis of a readily available thymus transplant treatment for people with a weakened immune system. They may also enable the production of patient-matched T cells. The research is published today in the journal Nature Cell Biology.
The Latest on: Lab-grown replacement organs
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Lab-grown replacement organs” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Lab-grown replacement organs
- Lab-grown mini-placentas reveal clue to why pregnancy complications happenon May 3, 2024 at 10:27 am
Infections can trigger pregnancy complications, and now, new miniature versions of the placenta are helping show why.
- The lab-grown diamond boom is overon April 26, 2024 at 7:05 am
The man-made diamond boom is over, and prices for ultra-trendy lab-grown diamonds are set to tumble this year, industry veterans say. Paul Zimnisky, a leading diamond analyst, foresees jewelers ...
- Novel lab-grown mini-colons can accurately mimic the development of colorectal tumorson April 25, 2024 at 12:25 pm
In a breakthrough for cancer research, scientists at EPFL have created lab-grown mini-colons that can accurately mimic the development of colorectal tumors, offering a powerful new tool for studying ...
- Scientists just grew super realistic, miniature colons in the lab and gave them canceron April 23, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The tiny colons were grown from mouse stem cells, but human versions could one day be used to test new drugs for colorectal cancer, scientists say. Scientists created realistic, miniature versions ...
- Gift real lab-grown diamonds to your loved ones no matter the occasionon April 23, 2024 at 3:12 pm
Many people ask what lab-grown diamonds are and if they’re real — we’re here to tell you, they are. What makes them different? Lab-grown diamonds are sourced responsibly, mindful of the ...
- What Is Lab-Grown Meat?on April 20, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Barbie Cervoni, MS, RD, CD/N, CDE, is a registered dietitian (RD) and certified diabetes care and education specialist (CDCES). She has spent most of her career counseling patients with diabetes ...
- Beaumont Astronaut To Spend 6 Months On International Space Stationon April 15, 2024 at 2:39 pm
According to NASA, Dyson considers herself to have "grown up in space," having spent ... on demand and doctors on Earth to engineer replacement organs and tissues for patients," a NASA ...
- Cells Shed by Fetuses Have Been Grown Into Mini-Organson April 6, 2024 at 1:59 am
For obvious reasons, whole human embryos cannot be grown and observed in a laboratory ... which can then be extracted and cultured in a lab to create mini-model organs without touching the fetus ...
- 10 lab-grown diamond makers that ought to be on your radaron April 4, 2024 at 5:00 pm
With recent technological advancements, many jewellery makers have explored the option of lab-grown diamonds due to ethical and economic reasons. Lab-grown diamonds are still authentic diamonds ...
- Advanced Cell Modelson September 5, 2023 at 10:43 pm
Great hope has been placed on organ-on-chip models to provide a complex and predictive ... In a breakthrough for cancer research, scientists at EPFL have created lab-grown mini-colons that can ...
via Bing News