Scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital (Northeast U.S.) created a bioengineered kidney that was successfully transplanted into a rat. The technique is based on using the body of the recipient organism as a model. First they took a rat kidney and stripped out its functional cells using a solution of detergent. That left behind a white cellular matrix, the collagen scaffold that gives the organ its three-dimensional structure. Afterwards, they repopulated the structure with a cocktail of cells, including kidney cells from newborn rats, which grew into a functioning organ.
Around 35 000 people suffering from terminal illness of the kidneys receive a donor organ in the world each year, but five times that many patients are on waiting lists. In 2011, nearly 5,000 people died waiting for transplants. Elaine Davies, head of research operations, states that kidneys created through bioengineering would provide hope for kidney patients and those at risk of kidney disease, but she cautioned that patients should not expect imminent human trials. "This whole regenerative medicine approach is still really in its infancy in terms of kidney disease," she said.
"Predominantly, it's just the fact that the kidney is a much more complex organ in terms of being able to replicate its anatomy and physiology when you compare it to other organs like skin or heart. It has many different types of cells within it and it has a very complex structure in terms of the different functions it performs. There's hope with a caution. I'm not saying we won't get there but it could be in [many] decades' time."Kidneys created through bioengineering, especially if they are created using resources that are not from humans, could remedy or eliminate this lack of organs.
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