Growing Repairs ...

david65 · 07-13-2003, 01:08 PM

Hello,

Does anyone know of any doctors using
body organs (parts) that are cultured in
a lab dish. I know the Big One (spinal
cord) is not perfected yet, but I thought I
read somewhere that this Feburary - a doctor
was going to do the first ever of a bladder -
He said he plans on doing other things also as
far as transplants of different surgeries.

Why haven't us SCI's heard an results?

God bless,

David

david tippitt

SCI-Nurse · 07-13-2003, 03:16 PM

David, I am sure Dr. Young can answer this better than I can, but of course the real question comes down to neurologic control. Even if we could grow a new bladder (or bowel, etc.) in tissue culture, it would not work for people with SCI any different that their current bladder or bowel unless we can make a way for the spinal cord to regain control (regenerate) over the organ as well. There is really nothing basically wrong with your bladder or bowel. It is the nerve control that is the problem.

I have not heard of any implantation of tissue grown organs with humans to date. Some have been attempted in animals such as mice, with mixed results.

(KLD)

david65 · 07-13-2003, 06:54 PM

Hi,

Basically it not control of the body part or
organ, but the replacemet of infected organs is
my main focus. For example, a bladder that has
been overstretched or has a untreatable bacteria
contacting it in a bad way. Kidney replacements
and bowels with colitis inflammations.

Still nothing heard of this yet ...

David

david tippitt

david65 · 07-26-2003, 01:00 PM

Hi,

I am posting some information that will be of benefit for further investment of research.

Dr Anthony Atala

Dr Anthony Atala, of the Boston Children's Hospital, says he hopes to put a laboratory-engineered bladder into a patient once he has obtained the necessary regulatory approval.

He believes permission for the procedure, which has been pioneered in dogs, will come within the next few months.

Dr Attalla says that if he is successful with the bladder transplant, he will attempt to repair damaged hearts with new muscle and possibly even try to grow a kidney.

Polymer ball

"I think over time there will be no limit," Dr Atala said. "I think it is just a question of figuring out all the different tissue types and cell types and how they work best, but eventually I think that following the same strategies just about every organ in the body will be repairable at the very least."

It was exactly two years ago that a team from the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering at the Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston announced that it had successfully implanted six beagle dogs with lab-grown bladders.

Tissue samples were taken from the animals' original bladders and these were used to cultivate the muscle cells and special bladder skin cells, called urothelial cells, needed to construct the artificial organs.

The multiplying cells were shaped into beagle bladders by bedding them down over polymer balls. Transplanted into the dogs, these lab-grown organs allowed the animals to urinate normally.

Important ally

Dr Atala believes his technique is sufficiently well developed that it could be used to treat a young child.

A lab-grown bladder could be the answer for a patient whose own organ has been destroyed by cancer or damaged by an infection or injury.

Dr Atala is seeking approval for human trials from the US Food and Drug Administration.

Although tissue engineering has huge potential, Dr Atala believes there will always be a need for donor organs. "I think tissue engineering is just another solution but it should help reduce the number of patients on a transplant list."

And, he believes, tissue engineering will prove to be a useful ally to the emerging field of stem cell medicine, in which "young" cells are injected into ailing tissue to regenerate it.

"For example, with a patient who has a failing heart, where obviously it would be very hard to get a biopsy because they would not tolerate the procedure; then I think stem cells would be the ideal answer."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Related to this story:
Doctors herald grow-your-own organs (02 Feb 99 | Science/Nature)

Sincerely,

david tippitt

07-13-2003, 01:08 PM	#1
david65 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 1,025	Growing Repairs ... Hello, Does anyone know of any doctors using body organs (parts) that are cultured in a lab dish. I know the Big One (spinal cord) is not perfected yet, but I thought I read somewhere that this Feburary - a doctor was going to do the first ever of a bladder - He said he plans on doing other things also as far as transplants of different surgeries. Why haven't us SCI's heard an results? God bless, David david tippitt

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07-13-2003, 03:16 PM	#2
SCI-Nurse Moderator Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: USA Posts: 41,341	David, I am sure Dr. Young can answer this better than I can, but of course the real question comes down to neurologic control. Even if we could grow a new bladder (or bowel, etc.) in tissue culture, it would not work for people with SCI any different that their current bladder or bowel unless we can make a way for the spinal cord to regain control (regenerate) over the organ as well. There is really nothing basically wrong with your bladder or bowel. It is the nerve control that is the problem. I have not heard of any implantation of tissue grown organs with humans to date. Some have been attempted in animals such as mice, with mixed results. (KLD)

07-13-2003, 06:54 PM	#3
david65 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 1,025	Hi, Basically it not control of the body part or organ, but the replacemet of infected organs is my main focus. For example, a bladder that has been overstretched or has a untreatable bacteria contacting it in a bad way. Kidney replacements and bowels with colitis inflammations. Still nothing heard of this yet ... David david tippitt

07-26-2003, 01:00 PM	#4
david65 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 1,025	Hi, I am posting some information that will be of benefit for further investment of research. Dr Anthony Atala Dr Anthony Atala, of the Boston Children's Hospital, says he hopes to put a laboratory-engineered bladder into a patient once he has obtained the necessary regulatory approval. He believes permission for the procedure, which has been pioneered in dogs, will come within the next few months. Dr Attalla says that if he is successful with the bladder transplant, he will attempt to repair damaged hearts with new muscle and possibly even try to grow a kidney. Polymer ball "I think over time there will be no limit," Dr Atala said. "I think it is just a question of figuring out all the different tissue types and cell types and how they work best, but eventually I think that following the same strategies just about every organ in the body will be repairable at the very least." It was exactly two years ago that a team from the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering at the Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston announced that it had successfully implanted six beagle dogs with lab-grown bladders. Tissue samples were taken from the animals' original bladders and these were used to cultivate the muscle cells and special bladder skin cells, called urothelial cells, needed to construct the artificial organs. The multiplying cells were shaped into beagle bladders by bedding them down over polymer balls. Transplanted into the dogs, these lab-grown organs allowed the animals to urinate normally. Important ally Dr Atala believes his technique is sufficiently well developed that it could be used to treat a young child. A lab-grown bladder could be the answer for a patient whose own organ has been destroyed by cancer or damaged by an infection or injury. Dr Atala is seeking approval for human trials from the US Food and Drug Administration. Although tissue engineering has huge potential, Dr Atala believes there will always be a need for donor organs. "I think tissue engineering is just another solution but it should help reduce the number of patients on a transplant list." And, he believes, tissue engineering will prove to be a useful ally to the emerging field of stem cell medicine, in which "young" cells are injected into ailing tissue to regenerate it. "For example, with a patient who has a failing heart, where obviously it would be very hard to get a biopsy because they would not tolerate the procedure; then I think stem cells would be the ideal answer." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Related to this story: Doctors herald grow-your-own organs (02 Feb 99 \| Science/Nature) Sincerely, david tippitt