Re-Growing Organs



111powderWhen Lee Spievack sliced off the end of his finger a few years ago, his brother sent him some powder to sprinkle on it. In four weeks, his fingertip had grown back! Dr. Steven Badylak explains:

That powder is a substance made from pig bladders called extracellular matrix. It is a mix of protein and connective tissue surgeons often use to repair tendons and it holds some of the secrets behind the emerging new science of regenerative medicine.

“It tells the body, start that process of tissue regrowth,” said Badylak.

Badlayk is one of the many scientists who now believe every tissue in the body has cells which are capable of regeneration. All scientists have to do is find enough of those cells and “direct” them to grow.

“Somehow the matrix summons the cells and tell them what to do,” Badylak explained. “It helps instruct them in terms of where they need to go, how they need to differentiate - should I become a blood vessel, a nerve, a muscle cell or whatever.”

Scientists are studying the matrix to grow organs for transplant and to repair war wounds. Link -via Digg

Previously at Neatorama: Regrowing Human Limbs


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Posted on March 24, 2008 at 11:16 am by Miss Cellania
Category: Medicine



8 Comments to "Re-Growing Organs"

  • Dave
    March 24th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

    That’s pretty cool; just so long as the proper kind of tissue grows back, and stops growing at the proper time. That line, “Somehow the matrix summons the cells and tell them what to do,” just doesn’t give me a lot of confidence in the process.

  • lucky
    March 24th, 2008 at 5:47 pm

    i can see a time in the future where this is harnessed…but the road leading up to that will be paved with a lot of trial and error…and hopefully not three armed mutants…

  • s0dreadful
    March 24th, 2008 at 7:44 pm

    i just chopped off the fleshy front half of my ring finger two months ago on a meat slicer! but even better than that, once the spurting blood was controlled, the doctor put this crazy stuff called gel foam on, which is essentially the same stuff: pig protein. it was like a spongey-foam bandaid, and after a few days it got hard, forming a protective shell; except they told me to keep it on, even for 3 weeks until my flesh grew back and absorbed the foam magic. brilliant indeed, however i did delight in thinking my finger would regenerate an entire new hand.

  • Tom
    March 24th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    This is very interesting. I myself work on a certain naturally occurring healing factor that coordinates immune responses to cuts and skin regrowth, but I had never heard of this. I may have to order some.

  • Aramax
    March 24th, 2008 at 10:49 pm

    So, let me get this straight… they take a pig bladder, grind it into tiny powder and aply it on some injured part of the body ( Missing limb ) and *BAM* 4 weeks latter a new limb has appeared?

    And nobody knew this before now?

  • TheSquid
    March 25th, 2008 at 9:49 am

    fingertips have been known to regrow with out the use of any pig bladder. I myself lost the tip of my thumb to an xacto knife, cut down far enough to lose half the nail. The tip regrew on its own and the only noticeable difference is a scar the size of a pinhead right at the tip.

  • Alli
    March 25th, 2008 at 4:13 pm

    *nods and agrees with TheSquid*

    Any finger amputation from fingertip to the distal joint (the first bend after the fingertip) has the capability of regenerating all by its little lonesome; no pig protein or bacon required. This includes nerves, nailbed, nail; only the fingerprint may be beyond repair.

  • oakling
    March 25th, 2008 at 10:25 pm

    mmm. bacon.

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