Spare parts for humans: tissue engineers develop lab-grown lungs and limbs

[Video Link]

Above, a PBS NewsHour report by science correspondent Miles O'Brien which I helped shoot, on the subject of tissue engineering. The goal in this field: Grow tissue or even whole organs to repair damaged or diseased human bodies.

The report focuses in part on Isaias Hernandez, a 26-year old Marine whose leg was badly injured in an artillery attack on his convoy, in Iraq. "It looked like a chicken, like if you would take a bite out of it down to the bone," he tells Miles.

Dr. Steve Badylak of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh harvested material from a pig bladder to grow replacement muscle in the young Marine's leg.

Full transcript for the story is here.

• [joseph]

  I’ll take a pancreas please.

• [Chairboy]

  If this technique was used to grow human meat steak, what would the societal response/implications be?  Would people buy it?  Would there be protests?  How would religion weigh in? 

  • [Malic]

    How about something simpler?  An ethical-hangup-free leather coat made out cultured skin with yourself as a donor? It’s probably possible today – except that a pair gloves would probably cost as much as a house…

• [Dwen Dooley]

  This is useful, I left my heart in san francisco.

• [Zig]

  Nice to see that at least one US news source is using a journalist who can actually do science journalism and do it well.

• [savagejen]

  I hope this goes to market quickly. Transplants cost $$$$$$.

• [Dungeonbrownies]

  I’ve taken this guy’s introductory developmental biology course and he’s crazy good. Also pretty funny. I’m glad he’s getting the attention he deserves :D

• [Culturedropout]

  “Lab-grown Large Penis” spam in 3…2…1…

• [Culturedropout]

  “The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine?”  “Then you know it?”  “Yes, we’re familiar with it.”