Is It Possible To Grow Organs And Tissues?

With the many recent advances in technology we humans, curious as we are, often wonder about what other radical and exciting advancements are yet to come. In retrospect we can only concur that curiosity and intellect are the very traits that lead us forward on the path to truly understanding the universe in which we humbly find ourselves. On our journey to intellectual enlightenment many bizarre and wonderful things are sure to be discovered.

There is one idea that has been portrayed by Hollywood many times and has, for the better part of human existence, been thought to be science fiction. What am I talking about? Well, growing organs and tissues of course! Many popular movies, such as The Island and Repo Men, have defined their own interpretation of how this feat might be accomplished. Now, you might start to wonder how we could create cheap and efficient artificial organs back here in reality. Well today is your lucky day because that's exactly what this article is about.

There are roughly one-hundred and ten thousand people in America desperately waiting on a list for an organs and tissues transplant. Every day about twenty of those people die waiting. It is quite the hefty question to answer... but how can we change this?

Stepping into an objective perspective on the issue of growing living, enduring and functional organs, one must realize that a framework on which we can build is necessary. This problem was initially addressed by Dr. Frank Langer with the advent of bio-rubber. Bio-rubber is a material that permits animal cells to be seeded and affixed to its surface. After the bio-rubber has been properly seeded with recipient cells it is incubated for a few weeks, allowing cellular reproduction to occur. Afterward, the bio-rubber acts just like normal organs and tissues.

With that information we can infer that, theoretically, an organ recipient's body should not reject organs and tissues built in this manner; considering it would be composed of the recipient's own cells. Thanks to the picture on the right, we can see that this method does indeed work. That's good news; but the even better news is that the bio-rubber seeding method is not limited to just ears. Doctors have successfully built blood vessels, muscles, heart valves, bladders and many more organs and tissues.

Recently thought unfeasible, the ability to construct living organs and tissues from scratch is an admirable accomplishment; but understandably, it turns out that creating and organizing the multifarious system of capillaries that comprise complex organs and tissues is no painless task. So how did this problem effectuate resourceful alternative techniques? Doctors and scientists love efficiency. Have you ever heard the saying 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it.'? Well, repeatedly, nature has shown us that it's ingenerate designs are better than most of our own. With that idea in mind doctors were able to strip complex organs and tissues of their cells using a chemical commonly found in shampoo. Doing so leaves behind a perfect framework of proteins that can be seeded with anyone's cells. With these methods we no longer have to concern ourselves with whether or not the recipient's body will reject the transplanted organs and tissues.

The advancement of science is a beautiful event in a constant state of flux. As we watch, the engine of prosperity revs on due to the ceaseless rumination of visionaries in their respective fields. The ability to grow organs and tissues changes things and although change can be very frightening, we must learn to accept it; for it is the natural order of things. Instead, allow the excitement of a beautiful, magnanimous and breathtaking inevitability to govern the way in which one observes the world. Perhaps such a viewpoint will provide an opportunity for one to tap into that sea of potential roaring within each and every one of us.

The following video is an episode of NOVA scienceNOW, featuring Neil Degrasse Tyson, called Can We Live Forever?