Engineering Organs

 What if we could build organs from a single cell?  This form of stem cell research has been ongoing for years.  With the successful development of a new tissue “scaffold” technology, this may finally become a reality.  The Universities of Bristol and Liverpool led the research into the development of this scaffold, which is a combination of cells that produce living tissue that scientists hope can replace diseased parts of the body.  One roadblock the team faced was the oxygenation of cells in the center of the tissue, which decreased as the overall dimensions increased.  A new team of researchers found a possible solution to this oxygen deficiency problem by synthesizing myoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein, and attaching it to the membrane of the stem cells.  These were used as a reservoir of oxygen to the cells.  Dr. Perriman from Bristol’s School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine compared the proteins to a scuba tank; the cells “use it to breathe from when there is not enough oxygen in the local environment.” 

The research opened new opportunities not only in creating new cartilage, but muscle and bone as well.  This new protein development opens up “a wide range of biotechnologies,” and is therefore a large step in the right direction for stem cell research.  The long-term goal, of course, is to be able to provide transplants of healthy tissue into patients with diseased or damaged tissue.