Growing Lungs In A Lab: Researchers Move Closer To Goal

[Christopher]

June 25, 2010|By Rachel Bernstein, Los Angeles Times

Breathe in, breathe out — it may seem simple, but lungs are devilishly complicated structures, boasting more than 40 different cell types and an intricate network of tiny blood vessels and air sacs.

It's no wonder, then, that engineering lungs in the lab, either for transplantation or study, has been extremely challenging.

Now two research groups have made major strides in attacking the problem. One has successfully engineered a lung that can sustain a living rat and the other has created a lung-mimicking device for toxicology studies that acts more like a real lung than any earlier efforts, the groups reported Thursday in the journal Science.

One report brings closer the day

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[kitsune]

Not at all sure how I feel about this one.....

Not that its really suprising--researchers are always trying to replicate something, or recreate something

My Dad is a lung transplant recipient--a lab grown lung would have been a bit more pleasant than a cadaver.....

[nana]

Ahhh...good point, kitsune. I wasn't quite sure what to think until you pointed out the cadaver part.

Makes a person stop and think.

[snubber]

IT'S ALIVE!!! IT'S ALIVE!!!! IGOR IT'S ALIVE!!!!

[kitsune]

I never thought about it much until my Dad received 'Lester' -- his left lung (yes, my dad is a very twisted person). The donor was from a Motorcycle accident without a helmet--30 something--smashed his brain, but left his lungs intact.

still not sure how I feel about a lab lung either.....

[NeRo9k]

It could be great for studies. When I was reading this, stem cell research popped into my mind.