Plants will be used to grow organs
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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In one of the Canadian laboratories where scientists are engaged in biophysical manipulation, they told that in the near future there will be a technology that allows growing organs for transplanting to humans from plants. This new direction in science has received the name of biohacking and, according to experts, all procedures take place without biochemical or genetic interventions.
Laboratory director Andrew Pelling noted that he and his team are more concerned with researching the behavior of cells in altered physical conditions than genetic or biochemical studies.
Professor Pelling with his team has grown "apple ear", which can become promising for regenerative medicine, when for one reason or another defective parts of the body need to be replaced.
Typically, bioengineers have examined the organs of animals, in particular pigs, which are similar to humans and can be used as donors. But the plant world offers more choices, in addition, this method of growing organs is less expensive.
When creating new organs, one of the main problems was material that is capable of preserving not only cells, but also the shape and structure of the organ.
Synthetically created organs eventually decompose in the body, as the skeleton replaces the new cells, when using donor organs, the body of foreign cells also "flushes" out of the body until there are collagen structures that are subsequently filled with the patient's own cells.
But both synthetic and donor agencies are expensive and researchers from different countries are tirelessly looking for an alternative to them.
The use of plants as a basis for creating an organ, according to the Pelling team, is notable for its low cost and high compatibility with the human body - the apple fiber mesh implanted under the skin is rapidly filled with cells and blood vessels, and after about 2 months, the plant cells are fully compatible with the body , the immune system does not react to them and does not reject it.
Some of the work of Pelling's team is associated with genetic manipulation, scientists actively work with cells - push them, stretch them, place them in various containers and observe the behavior of cells, by the way, studying cells under certain conditions can change the therapy of complex paralysis of the extremities.
Specialists noted that capillaries in asparagus can be used to restore the spinal cord, and pink petals are suitable for skin transplantation. As experiments have shown, vegetable fiber is not destroyed in the body, unlike implants.
According to one of the experts on biomaterials from the Harvard School, the work of Professor Pelling greatly expanded the tools and opened new opportunities for all those working in the field of molecular medicine.
In Europe, GMOs are treated extremely negatively, whereas in Canada, where Pelling's laboratory is located, a more loyal attitude toward this. Canada supports the work of Pelling, but like any new research, biohacking must undergo a series of tests before the approval of regulatory authorities is received.
It is worth noting that the Pelling Laboratory works openly, and those who wish can offer their own experiments using twitter, and the team of scientists suggest that they repeat some experiments at home using accessible materials and household items.
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