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I was flabbergasted to read that the new trachea grew in two days. Is this normal, or would they have had to put some sort of growth stimulant in the bioreacto
by invalidOrTaken 15y ago
I was flabbergasted to read that the new trachea grew in two days. Is this normal, or would they have had to put some sort of growth stimulant in the bioreactor?
If I sound ignorant, it's because I am, and I'd love for someone more knowledgeable about biotech to set me straight.
- killerswan 15y agoYeah, that is the most amazing part!
- hammock 15y agotspiteri 3 hours ago | link The BBC site has a more detailed article from three days ago: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14047670 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14047670 It says that the organ was made of glass in London, and then flown to Sweden and soaked for two days in a solution of the patient's stem cells.
- sorbus 15y agoThat's nice, but it doesn't answer the question of whether two days is a normal amount of time to grow a trachea or if they used a growth stimulant.
- carbocation 15y agoThe linked article basically answers the question. The physical shape of the trachea, carina, and right and left mainstem bronchi was created from glass. Over the course of two days, that glass became lined with the patient's cells. To be clear, the claim is not that the glass was replaced by human cells over the course of two days.
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- carbocation 15y agoThose are two totally different questions. To grow a complete trachea in two days would strain credulity. To get a glass template lined with cells in two days seems quite reasonable. Not sure about the specific cells that they used, but other cell types that I have had experience with will become confluent after starting off at a modest concentration within 24-48 hours.