Art of Making Human Organs!!

Economist has an article on the progress of making human organs genitically for usage instead of liver/heart/etc transpant from others (usually the dying). It is the simplity of the production that amazes me...

So the idea of being able to create replacement organs from scratch, using a patient's own tissues—and hence preventing rejection—has considerable allure. Dr Atala, a pioneer in the field, is now working with Tengion, a biotech firm based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. It is one of several firms pursuing the idea of making organs to order, but seems to have made the most progress. Already, a handful of patients in America have been quietly fitted with new bladders made using Dr Atala's technology.

The approach is simple, but it has taken decades to refine. Healthy progenitor cells (the precursors to particular cell types) are extracted from the patient, isolated and multiplied in culture. They are then placed into a scaffolding structure, made of collagen, which is sculpted to resemble the required organ. This in turn is then placed into a soup of nutrients in an incubator, resembling an aquarium, that simulates the conditions found inside the human body. “Four to six weeks later, you have a ‘neo-bladder' that can then be placed into the patient,” says Dr Atala. The immune system senses nothing untoward, allowing the body to stimulate the remaining growth necessary for full functionality. The collagen scaffolding is gradually reabsorbed into the body.