by Sophia Golec

Posted on May 29, 2013

The field of organ transplantation is being rocked by a phenomenon years in the making – biologically engineered tissues used for transplant. The process includes culturing a patient’s own stem cells onto a scaffold of biomaterials so that they differentiate into the required organ. The successful transplant of an entirely engineered trachea earlier this month made the procedure famous.

Scientists have yet to succeed in engineering more complex organs, such as the heart, lungs, and kidneys. These organs play a more complex, active role in the body. However, engineering of skin, nerves, arteries, noses, tracheas, and other organs has progressed significantly.

Eleni Antoniadou, CEO of Transplants Without Donors, hopes for bureaucratic evolution to ensure that this burgeoning technology will one day enter widespread use. Antoniadou received the Woman of the Year award in 2013 for her work in regenerative medicine research. Although artificial organ transplants have been successful, they currently face multiple obstacles towards implementation because of their recent discovery.

The need for organ transplantation continues to be a global medical concern. Patients eligible for transplant, artificial or otherwise, are limited to those who straddle the boundary between very ill and healthy enough to survive the transplant.

Antoniadou hopes that regenerative medicine will provide answers to this enduring medical issue. The research into engineering organs could provide insight into the current methods of transplant. Someday the technology may be able to substantially replace real organs, thus ending the organ donor shortage problem. Artificial organs could even decrease the demand for real organs and end the illegal trade in human lives, organ trafficking.

Source: Eleni Antoniadou for the Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/eleni-antoniadou/shaping-the-future-of-fedicine_b_3344963.html