Scientists create human kidneys from stem cells
source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8443740/Scientists-create-human-kidneys-from-st...
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The artificial organs were created in a laboratory using human amniotic fluid and animal foetal cells.
They are currently half a centimetre in length - the same size as kidneys found in an unborn baby.
Scientists at Edinburgh University hope they will grow into full-size organs when transplanted into a human.
The breakthrough could lead to patients creating their own replacement organs without the risk of rejection, a common complication in transplant procedures.
Physiologist Jamie Davies, a professor of experimental anatomy at Edinburgh University, said: ''It sounds a bit science fiction-like but it's not.
''The idea is to start with human stem cells and end up with a functioning organ.
''We have made pretty good progress with that. We can make something that has the complexity of a normal, foetal kidney.''
The research team hope that doctors will eventually be able to collect amniotic fluid, which surrounds the growing embryo in the womb, when a baby is born.
This will then be stored by scientists in case that person develops kidney disease later in life. The fluid can then be used to create a matching kidney.
Creating an organ using a patient's own stem cells solves the problem of having to use powerful immunosuppressant drugs to stop the body rejecting a another person's kidney.
Professor Davies said the technology could be ready for use on humans in around 10 years.
He added: ''Freezing a few cells is cost-effective compared with the cost of keeping someone on dialysis for years.
''If you have got a bunch of stem cells sitting in a test tube, that is a long way from being a beautifully, anatomically organised organ like a kidney, which is quite a complicated structure.
''So we are working on how you turn cells floating about in liquid into something as precisely arranged as a kidney.''
Around 7,000 people in the UK are on the waiting list for a new kidney and demand for organs is increasing.
The breakthrough will be officially unveiled at Edinburgh's Science Festival this month.
The use of stem-cell technology is seen as a "holy grail", which promises to reduce shortages of several types of organs.
There are currently around 7,000 people on the waiting list for a kidney in the UK.
Last week, Japanese scientists grew a retina from stem cells for the first time.
They are currently half a centimetre in length - the same size as kidneys found in an unborn baby.
Scientists at Edinburgh University hope they will grow into full-size organs when transplanted into a human.
The breakthrough could lead to patients creating their own replacement organs without the risk of rejection, a common complication in transplant procedures.
Physiologist Jamie Davies, a professor of experimental anatomy at Edinburgh University, said: ''It sounds a bit science fiction-like but it's not.
''The idea is to start with human stem cells and end up with a functioning organ.
''We have made pretty good progress with that. We can make something that has the complexity of a normal, foetal kidney.''
The research team hope that doctors will eventually be able to collect amniotic fluid, which surrounds the growing embryo in the womb, when a baby is born.
This will then be stored by scientists in case that person develops kidney disease later in life. The fluid can then be used to create a matching kidney.
Creating an organ using a patient's own stem cells solves the problem of having to use powerful immunosuppressant drugs to stop the body rejecting a another person's kidney.
Professor Davies said the technology could be ready for use on humans in around 10 years.
He added: ''Freezing a few cells is cost-effective compared with the cost of keeping someone on dialysis for years.
''If you have got a bunch of stem cells sitting in a test tube, that is a long way from being a beautifully, anatomically organised organ like a kidney, which is quite a complicated structure.
''So we are working on how you turn cells floating about in liquid into something as precisely arranged as a kidney.''
Around 7,000 people in the UK are on the waiting list for a new kidney and demand for organs is increasing.
The breakthrough will be officially unveiled at Edinburgh's Science Festival this month.
The use of stem-cell technology is seen as a "holy grail", which promises to reduce shortages of several types of organs.
There are currently around 7,000 people on the waiting list for a kidney in the UK.
Last week, Japanese scientists grew a retina from stem cells for the first time.
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