http://www.smh.com.au/world/bodily-organs-overhauled-to-minimise-rejection-20101103-17e2k.html
Bodily organs overhauled to minimise rejection November 4, 2010 MADRID: Spanish scientists have presented a new technique to create bioartificial organs for transplant using stem cells that they say will vastly reduce the risk of rejection of the donated organ. The technique involved ''stripping'' a donated heart, liver or other organ that was deemed unsuitable for donation of their cells, leaving just a ''scaffold'', Francisco Fernandez-Aviles, the chief cardiologist at Gregorio Maranon Hospital, told a news conference. Stem cells from the patient would then be applied to this framework to regrow the organ, which would share their DNA, thus making it more acceptable to their body. Doctors would be able to carry out transplants involving organs that had been regenerated using this technique in five years at the earliest, Dr Fernandez-Aviles said. ''This will put an end to two problems: the lack of donors or organs suitable for transplant and the rejection of transplanted organs by the patient,'' he said. The hospital has eight heart ''scaffolds'' ready for use with this technique and it hopes to partially re-grow one heart using stem cells by the end of the year. The Science Minister, Cristina Garmendia, said the hospital ''has the first lab in the world dedicated to producing bioartificial organs for transplant using adult stem cells.'' Three years ago the hospital became the first in the world to use stem cells from a patient's fat tissue, extracted through liposuction, to treat his heart. Massive investment has been directed into stem-cell research, driven by hopes that immature, pre-cursor cells can be prompted into becoming specific adult cells for the heart, brain and so on. Spain has become a world leader in organ donation since it set up a network of transplant co-ordinators in 1989 at all hospitals in the country. They monitor emergency wards and tactfully talk to grieving families to get permission to use organs to save others. About 15 per cent of families approached in Spain refused consent for organ donation, compared with the 40 per cent who refused in the 1980s before the system was set up. Agence France-Presse [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
