It's a rainy, sleepy day in Toronto, the kind of day you'd prefer to sit indoors and let your imagination run with a good book instead of going out and being productive. In the spirit of days for staying in due to weather, here is a link to one blogger's reading list of the top 10 environmental disaster stories.
Enjoy!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Introduction to Developments in Organ Transplanting - Growing Organs
Here is a video taken from an article at SingularityHub.com on the current state of research on organ development and transplant.
Organ transplanting is a costly, and, up until now, quite dangerous process. Besides the typical risks involved in surgery, such as the patient's response to anesthetic and blood loss, the aftermath of surgery can be just as dangerous as the surgery itself, as the body may reject the needed organ.
Growing organs in labs using patients' own cells is one major way scientists are trying to change the face of health care. An organ made from a patient's own cells is a clone of their organ, with the same DNA structure, so, once the organ is implanted, there is no chance of rejection post-surgery. Organs take only a couple weeks to grow, so it is very time-efficient, and the process eliminates the need for transplant patients to take immunosuppressants, decreasing the number of risks common to transplantation.
The system to grow these organs is easier than you might expect. Cells are taken from the patient's organ, and kept in culture until they grow into a tissue, and then can be shaped into an organ. Bladders have been grown this way and successfully transplanted into people. Blood vessels also can be grown this way, and are "trained" to pump blood by growing in a device that incorporates them in the circulation of liquid.
An extra-special treat at the end of this video is a glimpse into the creation of a two-chamber heart using an ordinary Hewlett Packard printer. Cartridges are filled with a live-cell/gel mixture, and 3D layers are printed until a shape has taken form. Because these cells are live, it is only a matter of hours before the "printed" heart starts to beat. At this point in the video, I really had to sit back and just marvel: isn't biology just amazing??
I have not yet been able to find pricing on the growing and transplanting process.
For an extra-detailed look at the creation of the heart, check out this video, found on XiXiDu's blog.
Research is continuing to learn how to grow organs that are in high demand, such as the heart, kidney, and pancreas. This kind of achievement is a long way off, but the reality that we are regenerating organs in the first place is very good reason for hope.
** This entry is dedicated to my sister, Jessica.
Organ transplanting is a costly, and, up until now, quite dangerous process. Besides the typical risks involved in surgery, such as the patient's response to anesthetic and blood loss, the aftermath of surgery can be just as dangerous as the surgery itself, as the body may reject the needed organ.
Growing organs in labs using patients' own cells is one major way scientists are trying to change the face of health care. An organ made from a patient's own cells is a clone of their organ, with the same DNA structure, so, once the organ is implanted, there is no chance of rejection post-surgery. Organs take only a couple weeks to grow, so it is very time-efficient, and the process eliminates the need for transplant patients to take immunosuppressants, decreasing the number of risks common to transplantation.
The system to grow these organs is easier than you might expect. Cells are taken from the patient's organ, and kept in culture until they grow into a tissue, and then can be shaped into an organ. Bladders have been grown this way and successfully transplanted into people. Blood vessels also can be grown this way, and are "trained" to pump blood by growing in a device that incorporates them in the circulation of liquid.
An extra-special treat at the end of this video is a glimpse into the creation of a two-chamber heart using an ordinary Hewlett Packard printer. Cartridges are filled with a live-cell/gel mixture, and 3D layers are printed until a shape has taken form. Because these cells are live, it is only a matter of hours before the "printed" heart starts to beat. At this point in the video, I really had to sit back and just marvel: isn't biology just amazing??
I have not yet been able to find pricing on the growing and transplanting process.
For an extra-detailed look at the creation of the heart, check out this video, found on XiXiDu's blog.
Research is continuing to learn how to grow organs that are in high demand, such as the heart, kidney, and pancreas. This kind of achievement is a long way off, but the reality that we are regenerating organs in the first place is very good reason for hope.
** This entry is dedicated to my sister, Jessica.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
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