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A comment on Scientists use adult skin cells to regenerate functional human heart tissue. Parent comment

Re:Scientists use adult skin cells to regenerate functional ... by reasonattlm on Sunday March 20, 2016 @11:18PM (#11325988)
It is a very important distinction. It is the difference between three sizable but incremental advances - rehabilitating unsuitable donor organs, the potential to use pig organs, and elimination of immune rejection - and the far, far greater advance of being able to grow entire patient-matched organs from scratch as needed with no donor.

Being shackled to the need for a donor organ for tissue much thicker than a centimeter is a big drag on the progression of this field. It is a function of blood vessels, largely - being able to create scaffolds of sufficient complexity and size with the right chemical guides to allow formation of blood vessel networks is still not there yet. Hence the need for the natural scaffold of the donor organ.

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Re:Scientists use adult skin cells to regenerate functional ... by alextgordon on Monday March 21, 2016 @12:15AM (#11326205)
I don't think I understand. If they could rehabilitate unsuitable donor organs and didn't have to worry about rejection, there wouldn't be a shortage. Isn't that the end game?
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Re:Scientists use adult skin cells to regenerate functional ... by reasonattlm on Monday March 21, 2016 @09:41AM (#11327958)
There would still be a great shortage. The supply of donor organs is tiny.
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Re:Scientists use adult skin cells to regenerate functional ... by jack9 on Monday March 21, 2016 @11:20AM (#11328660)
No shortage is more like it. Intact cadaverous hearts are plentiful by comparison to awaiting heart transplant patients. Most heart failures are immediate and fatal, but people who have progressive failure are relatively rare. Transplant patients would conceivably be donors for the program (since most heart damage is soft tissue failure).
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Re:Scientists use adult skin cells to regenerate functional ... by astazangasta on Monday March 21, 2016 @10:48AM (#11328422)
You could use a much broader range of donor organs, and not having to worry about matching would vastly increase the number of usable donations.
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