The first bioengineered lungs
Human lungs have been grown in an American laboratory
This scientific achievement can revolutionize transplantology
American scientists have made a breakthrough in medicine, which in the future may lead to a revolution in organ transplantation. The fact is that for the first time in the history of mankind, human lungs were grown in a scientific laboratory, writes the journal Medical News Today (Human lungs successfully grown in a lab for the first time).
Scientists working at the medical faculty of the University of Texas at Galveston achieved this result using parts of the lungs of two dead children. From one pair of lungs, the researchers made a "skeleton" of connective tissue, the main components of which are collagen and elastin. This framework was "seeded" with the cellular material of another pair of lungs. Then this sample was lowered into a special chamber filled with nutrient fluid.
Four weeks later, the experimental team received full-fledged human lungs. Scientists claim that they can repeat their experiment using other people's lungs.
Collagen matrix (A) and the first bioengineered human lungs (B)
Photo: University of Texas Medical Branch – VM
For the first time, scientists developed a technology for growing lungs in 2010. Since then, it has been tested on the lungs of rats and pigs. Only after research with animals did scientists move on to human lungs.
"It took us a year to make sure that we coped with the task. You can't tell the whole world about something amazing if you haven't proved it to yourself," said one of the researchers, Dr. Joan Nichols.
She added that although her colleagues are happy with this discovery, they will need at least 12 years before the transplantation of lab-grown lungs becomes a reality.
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