Artificial Organs

http://www.creatingpositivelives.co.uk/

Regenerative medicine is a rapidly growing field that offers endless possibilities for doctors and patients alike. While there are still many discoveries to be made and technology to be developed, there have already been incredible advances. For example, doctors have created an extracellular matrix, which is a powder made from pig bladders. It is a mix of proteins and connective tissue, which means it can regenerate tissue by mobilizing the cells that maintain and repair injuries in the body. This has already been shown to help regenerate a part of a man's finger, and scientists believe that, if studied further, they can create new limbs and skin for amputees and burn victims respectively.

Sangeeta Bhatia has had a huge role in advancing regenerative medicine. She specificially studied manufacturing a liver by taking liver cells out of the body - the problem was these cells quickly died once removed. Bhatia hypothesized that the arrangement of these cells is crucial to their survival, and ultimately their function. Similar to how the complex networks of a computer chip are built through light, Bhatia used a chemical reaction with light to manipulate the placement of liver cells outside of the body. Although it took over a year, Bhatia eventually had the proper formation. In addition, these cells maintained life for an unprecedented six weeks. With enough time and support, enough networks of tissue can be built to construct an entire functioning liver. Procedures to build artificial bladder, skin, and even valves of a heart have been successful as well.

http://eecsfacweb.mit.edu/

There are many benefits for artificial organs, which can replace, restore or enhance organ function in a sick individual. First, being able to construct an organ decreases the need for transplant surgeries, which are risky because the organs have a short amount of time to be delivered and not every organ is a match for a recipient. With artificial organs, however, we do not need to worry about rushing the procedure to keep the organ alive, and if an organ is made from the recipient's cells, then it would be a guaranteed match. Another benefit is that these artificial organs can be made as subjects for testing the toxicity of new drugs, thus reducing the need for animal testing.

However, there are also reasons to be cautious when dealing with artificial organs. There is a possibility that undiscovered diseases or defects in the cells used to build artificial organs could lead to fatal consequences if left unchecked. Also, similar to the stem cell debate, there is a question of whether or not it is ethical to create the systems of life in a laboratory. Some believe that only God has the ability to create life, and humans should not have this capability.