Nerve tissue created in lab (US)

[OhioChick]

Source: Times of India

28 Feb 2008, 0000 hrs IST

NEW YORK: Scientists have created the first engineered living human nervous tissue constructs which they claim could be used for transplants to repair damage to the nervous system.

"We have created a three-dimensional neural network, a mini-nervous system in culture, which can be transplanted en masse," according to lead researcher professor Douglas H Smith of the University of Pennsylvania.

The team obtained human dorsal root ganglia neurons (clusters of nerves just outside the spinal cord) to engineer into transplantable nervous tissue. The neurons were harvested from 16 patients following elective ganglionectomies and four thoracic neurons were harvested from organ donors. Subsequently, the neurons were purified and placed in a specially designed growth chamber. Using the stretch growth technique, the axons were slowly pulled in opposite directions over a series of days until they reached a desired length.

The neurons survived at least three months in culture while maintaining the ability to generate action potentials, the electrical signals transmitted along nerve fibres. The team found that the axons grew at about one millimetre per day to a length of one centimetre.



Read more: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthSci/Nerve_tissue_created_in_lab/articleshow/2820698.cms

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Great News!

[slackmaster]

1. Wow, that could potentially help a lot of people

[eleny]

2. This is huge

[kirby]

3. Send some Nerve to the Dems in Congress Stat!

and harvest some backbone while you are at it.

[emmadoggy]

4. DUzy!!

:rofl:

[Quantess]

11. Yeah, they need to grow a spinal cord! (no text)

:rofl:

[halobeam]

14. I'm still thinking they'll lose it... send it return receipt requested

just to prove they had it and lost it once again!

[Robbien]

5. Fascinating.

And I can see so many uses for this.

But wait till the wingnuts get hold of this news. Somehow it will all end up being another anti-religion issue.

[Tindalos]

6. That is amazing!

Wonderful news.

[zanne]

7. This is very exciting.

I have Muscular Dystrophy and my brother has Parkinson's Disease. There couldn't be better news. Maybe there'll be a cure in our lifetimes.

[mopinko]

8. the va needs this. i have been predicting that

the need to put these broken soldiers back together, even if the thugs stayed in power, would result in the stem cell debate being quietly reframed. if the dod wants it, it will happen.

[12string]

9. I wonder how

a person could qualify as a volunteer for one of the first human experiments with this surgery.I doubt medicare will cover it.

[stopwastingmymoney]

10. Actually

Medicare might be motivated to pay for treatment for people that are currently on disability for something that could be cured, hmmmm interesting

[southern_belle]

12. This is Great! eom

[live love laugh]

13. That is groundbreaking and has potential to restore quality of life for millions. WOW! n/t

[NoodleyAppendage]

15. Times of India reporting on a discovery made in New York. Shows who's paying attention...

It's no wonder that India and China are kicking our ass in the sciences...they actually pay attention and care about these discoveries, while back in the US this will get buried on page D23 (if it shows up at all).

j

[OhioChick]

16. Foreign News Agencies

Are Usually Where I Find My Articles. Never Hear About 'Anything" Here in the US.

[coffeenap]

17. Yep--just sent the OP's link to MSNBC. Wonder if they will

pick it up. Oh yeah, sure....

[OhioChick]

18. Nah.....

Probably too busy keeping up with Britney news and what's going on with American Idol.