Scientists have grown an artificial ear
American scientists claim that close to being able to grow a human ear from the cells of the patient. Similar to the human ear, they have grown in the laboratory, - flexible, just like the present, say researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
According to the Broadcasting Corporation Bi-bi-si , they believe that their technique can be used in the future to help people who for various reasons are missing or deformed ears.
Tissue engineering is an emerging field of medical science. Methods of cell and tissue engineering are used to create new organs in the laboratory in order to subsequently use them to replace diseased or damaged. A team of U.S. researchers working on the creation of artificial ears to help the people who were born with malformed ears, or those who have lost them as a result of an injury or accident.
Previously, researchers have grown mouse on an artificial ear, the size of a baby. In an article published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, they described an experiment in which they took the living tissue of cows and sheep and grown on a titanium frame of these three-dimensional living tissue model that has the shape of a human ear. Then, the tissue was implanted into a rat whose immune system is suppressed, so that the ear could easily grow.
"We have demonstrated the first full-sized adult human ear on a rat model," - said in an interview with BBC BBC heads a group of scientists Thomas Cervantes. It was important for several reasons, he said: "First, we were able to keep the shape of the ear after 12 weeks of growth in the rat. Secondly, we were able to preserve the natural flexibility of the cartilage."
Cells grown on the frame of a titanium wire, made by the real size of the human ear. Their sizes were established by means of computer tomography. New research has shown that the animals can grow enough cells to make the full-length human ear.
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