Scientists Fabricate Rudimentary Human Livers
Source: NY Times
By GINA KOLATA
Researchers in Japan have used human stem cells to create tiny human livers like those that arise early in fetal life. When the scientists transplanted the rudimentary livers into mice, the little organs grew, made human liver proteins, and metabolized drugs as human livers do.
They and others caution that these are early days and this is still very much basic research. The liver buds, as they are called, did not turn into complete livers, and the method would have to be scaled up enormously to make enough replacement liver buds to treat a patient. Even then, the investigators say, they expect to replace only 30 percent of a patients liver. What they are making is more like a patch than a full liver.
But the promise, in a field that has seen a great deal of dashed hopes, is immense, medical experts said.
This is a major breakthrough of monumental significance, said Dr. Hillel Tobias, director of transplantation at the New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Tobias is chairman of the American Liver Foundations national medical advisory committee.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/health/scientists-fabricate-rudimentary-human-livers.html?partner=EXCITE&ei=5043&_r=0
Takanori Takebe
Researchers from Japan used human stem cells to create "liver buds," rudimentary livers that, when transplanted into mice, grew and functioned.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)we turn away from science and back to "stone knives and bear skins", as Mr. Spock would say.
Maynar
(769 posts)Moostache
(9,895 posts)You should retitle this "scientists create..." instead of "scientists fabricate..."
With the non-stop anti-science bent of the right wing media, I'm a little over sensitive to words like fabricate because most people relate that to "lie".
I hope they continue to push boundries....life is only worth living if you're gonna make a change or an impact on the lives around you for good!
Hekate
(90,690 posts)You'll have to take it up with the original source.
JusticeForAll
(1,222 posts)A simple "make" or "construct" would have been just fine...but fabricate does lend itself to very negative connotations.
SO glad you brought the point up, even if the OP is constrained by what she or he has to transcribe verbatim.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)so that the Cheney-Borg finally gets to experience having a real one.