Tissue Engineering Techniques

Throughout the years, doctors have came up with new advance ways to do things thanks to all the new technology. Doctors have been focusing on growing body parts for the last twenty years. While they have been studying, they have found out a lot that they want to share with us. Doctors already know how to grow skin for patients that have been burned or have a skin condition where they lose skin.

Their next mission is to be able to grow body parts to replace some time near the future. They hope to be able to grow major body parts and other major functioning assets such as lab-grown cartilage and bone to relieve arthritis suffers and blood vessels, cardiac valves and muscle tissue. Their goal is to make kidneys, corneas, custom-made hearts, livers, breasts, bone marrow and bladders to help patients with diseases or life threatening illnesses. Their first step is to unlock the biochemical signals to influence growth and development. If they add the right combination of compounds, they can coax cells into growing and proliferating. When doing this, scientists need to pay close attention to the physical environment in which cells grow. Scientists can use biodegradable scaffolding to get the organs to look like human organs. By using this technique, cells will have better access to nutrients and waste removal.

Here in the U.S. a lady was in need of a ear and grew one on her arm. When it was done growing, the doctors cut it off and place it where se was missing an ear. Overtime it should look like a natural ear. Hopefully when this tissue engineering is complete, many life threatening illnesses and diseases can be cured and the waiting list for an organ transplant will disappear.


Down below are the sites I gathered my information from.

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1107/features/body.htm

http://gizmodo.com/5946943/woman-grows-a-new-ear-on-her-arm-has-it-attached-to-her-head-warning-graphic

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-24282498