Scientists Manufacture ‘Laboratory-Grown’ Kidney

When it comes to matching organs such as kidneys and livers from donors, that can be quite a tough thing to do, not to mention an extremely short list of donors are available in addition to a super long waiting list of recipients. While 3D printing of compatible body organs are not achievable at this point in time, how about growing an organ in the laboratory? We are heading in the right direction, as scientists have managed to grow a rat kidney in the confines of a laboratory, and when this lab-grown kidney was transplanted into animals, it managed to produce urine.

All right, so similar techniques to churn out simple body parts have already been achieved to date and actually used in human patients, but the achievement of a kidney is stunning to say the least, considering how the kidney is considered to be one of the most complicated organs manufactured, or grown, to date. Of course, it goes without saying that such genetically grown and engineered kidneys are a whole lot less effective than natural kidneys, but this is a good start to the future nonetheless. Could this signal the early days of Repo Men?

Edwin Kee
Categories: Medical