A few weeks ago, I received my new driver’s license in the mail, along with a letter thanking me for being an organ donor. But, I’m hoping that no one will benefit from this particular decision for a long time! State officials, the United Network for Organ Sharing, and other nonprofit organizations keep working to increase the number of organ donors, but the number has remained fairly constant. Meanwhile, 18 people die every day, waiting for a transplant of a vital organ such as a heart, kidney, liver, or lung. The good news? Medical researchers and engineers are developing artificial organs, which they hope will help eliminate the need for donated organs.
Creating a fully functioning artificial organ has been a long-standing goal of the medical community. The world’s first mechanical heart was surgically implanted back in 1969 but that patient lived less than three days. More than forty years later, the artificial heart is more sophisticated, and recipients live longer, but, so far, no more than 18 months.[1]
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University are developing an artificial lung. This is an intermediate step, a bridge for patients waiting for a transplant. While too large to fit into the human chest, the current model runs on air instead of pure oxygen, a huge breakthrough. The research team predicts they will have a human-sized artificial lung by the end of the decade.[2]
Scientists are also attempting to create synthetic organs in the lab from the patient’s own stem cells. This field of research is one aspect of the developing field of regenerative medicine. Unlike mechanical devices, which can break, need battery replacements, and have a limited shelf life, these organs could fully integrate into the human body and potentially allow a patient to live a full life span. This new research is very promising - just the other week I told you about the world’s first synthetic windpipe which saved the life of a 36-year-old man from Africa.
One of the key challenges is figuring out how to culture stem cells in the lab. Most cells in the human body need some type of scaffolding to grow on to become a three-dimensional organ in the lab. So far researchers have had the most success with simple organs and tissues such as bladders and blood vessels. In fact, researchers in San Diego and Germany have created blood vessels using a 3-D bioprinter, similar to your inkjet printer at home. Their goal is to develop a bioprinter to create more complex organs such as the kidney.[3] Another biotech company has combined the approaches of regenerative medicine and mechanical engineering to create an artificial liver. This is a device filled with human liver cells that filter the blood of patients while they wait for a transplant.[4]
Much of this research sounds like a futuristic sci-fi movie. It may be years before we actually have artificial organ replacements. Until then, we have an opportunity to actively demonstrate our care for the human community by becoming an organ donor. When you renew your driver’s license, sign up to be an organ donor. Your gift just might be able to save someone’s life . . . some day.
[1] FDA, “FDA Approves First Totally Implanted Permanent Artificial Heart for Humanitarian Purposes,” September 5, 2006 http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/2006/ucm108724.htm (accessed October 10, 2011).
[2] The Exchange, “Breathe Easy: The Science of Artificial Lungs (and Other Organs),” http://www.scienceandentertainmentexchange.org/blog/breathe-easy-science-artificial-lungs-and-other-organs (accessed October 10, 2011).
[3] The Exchange; “Revolutionary 3D Inkjet Printer Fabricates Artificial Blood Cells,” Fox News, September 14, 2011, http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/14/revolutionary-3d-inkjet-printer-fabricates-artificial-blood-cells/ (accessed October 11, 2011).
[4] “Doctors Test Latest Attempt at Artificial Liver,” Associated Press, February 2, 2009 http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28981937/ns/health-health_care/t/doctors-test-latest-attempt-artificial-liver/ (accessed October 11, 2011).