Smart Planet: “In 2008, after discovering an aggressive cancer in her ear, doctors had little choice but to surgically remove a large swatch of tissue from her face, including a large section of her ear. John Hopkins University reconstructive surgeon Dr. Patrick Byrne heard about Walters’ case and devised a procedure in which he would borrow cartilage from the rib area to stitch together a replacement ear. He decided to implant it beneath her forearm, where it can safely grow over a period of months..”
The demand for organ transplants is extremely high, too many patients die in the process of waiting in line. The new process is bioartificial, essentially incubating cells from the patient’s own organ. It’s much faster, about two months, and evades the rejection problems so many must deal with. It’s all done in that old petri dish we used in high school. Currently there are limitations on the more solid organs containing a lot of vascular activity. What tech!
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Posted on September 28, 2012
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