Growth of Stem Cells in Artificial Organs

By: Chelcy Branon

What is it?

• Stem cell regrowth is a process in which a patient’s stem cells are taken from their body and placed on a scaffold to grow an organ in an InBreath bioreactor.

• Succesfully transplanted bladders and a trachea, looking to grow heart, kidney, pancreas, etc.

Problems

• In the United States there are over 100,000 people waiting for an organ transplant.

• Risk of rejection.

• Risk of injection.

History

• Artificial heart devices were developed in the 1970s.

• Stem cell growth for artificial organs has been researched since the 1970s.

• In 2006, a team at the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh successfully transplanted bladders grown in the lab for children with spina bifida.

• First synthetic windpipe was inserted into a patient in 2009.

• Dr. Anthony Atala and his research team at Wake Forest University Medical Center made the first lab-grown bladder.

Current State of Art• 30 people have received the

bladder transplant with a bladder that is grown in an incubator. Takes about 6 to 8 weeks.

• Heart transplants are taking place in rats to successfully grow an artificial heart.

• June 2011 a successful trachea transplant was given to patient in Sweden suffering from cancer.

• Wake Forest is the world’s largest regenerative medicine research center. Currently trying to grow 22 different types of tissue: heart valves, muscle cells, arteries, and even fingers.

Artificial Lung

Current continued…

• Dr. Nicholas Kotov and his lab at the University of Michigan have grown artificial bone marrow from stem cells; even antibodies.

• May 2012: Removing adult stem cells, breaking them down into fibroblasts and rerouting them to grow into whichever tissue is needed.

Saving Tissue

Bill Weir visited Dr. Tom Nelson at a clinic in Minnesota.

• 80% chance he will see his own cardiac tissue beating outside of his body.

• Took tissue from bone marrow and rerouted it into growing a heart.

• Used to help future injuries.

• Neo-Bladder: Tengion: a Biotech company based outside of Philadelphia. Created the Neo-bladder, which has a 5-7 week growth span. It is currently in Phase ll testing. After phase lll, it will become commercially available.

• Artificial pancreas: 23.6 million diabetic sufferers. Doctors would restore natural control of blood glucose by giving insulin.

InBreath bioreactor

Limitations

• All organs are different per person.

• Its much harder to grow organs that aren’t hollow such as kidneys, hearts and livers.

• Not all organs can be duplicated depending on the condition.

• Life expectancy.

Future Direction

• Use stem cells to generate a heart.

• Making the prosthetics more permanent and to have longer expectancy.

• Better preservation when being transported to lengthen the survival of the organ.

• Cure for diseases and conditions such as diabetes.

• Growing the cells taking days, not weeks.

• Printing tissue organs. Inkjet cartridges are replaced with human cell and “smart gel.” Print out layer on top of layer to produce a 3D organ.

Bibliography• "BIO-ARTIFICIAL ORGANS." Bio-Artificial Organs. 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://bioartificialorgans.net/>.

• Burmester, Jochen Ringe, Christian Kaps, Gerd-Rüdiger, and Michael Sittinger. "Stem Cells for Regenerative Medicine: Advances in the Engineering of Tissues and Organs." SpringerLink. Springer Science+Business Media. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. <http://www.springerlink.com/content/pbel6dcqayuypy5t/>.

• Niklason, Laura E., and Robert Langer. "Prospects for Organ and Tissue Replacement." Opportunities for Medical Research. American Medical Association, 26 Feb. 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/285/5/573.full.pdf>.

• Saenz, Aaron. "Singularity Hub - Science, Technology, The Future of Mankind." Stem Cells Used to Grow Hearts: Cool New Pics and Vid. 23 June 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://singularityhub.com/2009/06/23/stem-cells-used-to-grow-hearts-cool-new-pics-and-vid/>.

• Duke Medicine News and Communications. "Newly-Identified Growth Factor Promotes Stem Cell Growth, Regeneration." - DukeHealth.org. 21 Mar. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2012. <http://www.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/newly_identified_growth_factor_promotes_stem_cell_growth_regeneration>.

• Vezina, Kenrick. "First Fully Synthetic Organ Transplant Saves Cancer Patient." Technology Review. MIT, 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.technologyreview.com/news/424621/first-fully-synthetic-organ-transplant-saves/>.

• Halley, Drew. "Growing Organs in the Lab | Singularity Hub." Growing Organs in the Lab | Singularity Hub. N.p., 6 Aug. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://singularityhub.com/2009/06/08/growing-organs-in-the-lab/>.

• Monroy, Bill Weir, C. Michael Kim, David Miller, Justin Bare & Mark. "Grow Your Own Organs." Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 03 May 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/grow-own-organs-173451147.html>.