Tissue Engineering Paper

It has been long stated that the body has the amazing ability to heal and repair itself. When said, it was in relation to minor cuts, bruises and abrasions, but perhaps this thinking limits the body’s ability. Perhaps the body does have this self-repairing ability, but on a much larger scale, such as the ability to repair larger organs such as the heart, lungs, or bigger things. Well, these studies are currently being reviewed and tested, it is actually a scientific study called Tissue Engineering. Tissue Engineering, according to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is the study of the growth of new connective tissues, or organs, from cells and a collagenous scaffold to produce a fully functional organ for implantation back into the donor host, …show more content…
In order to do this, it was first proven to be effective in mice. Researches from The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles took samples of intestinal tissue from mice. This tissue was composed of the layers of the various cells that make up the intestine -- including muscle cells and the cells that line the inside, known as epithelial cells. They were then placed in a scaffold, The results were new, engineered small intestines grew and had all of the cell types found in native intestine. The new organs contained the most essential components of the originals. Using this same technique, the same was done using human tissues grown from stem cells contained in the intestine and the results were the same--a fully functional small intestine. The small intestine also had the ability to absorb sugars, and even tiny or ultra-structural components like cellular connections. What this means is that the intestine could replace intestinal transplantation, and offer a therapeutic alternative and could potentially solve its largest challenges -- donor shortage and the need for lifelong immunosuppression. This advancement is described as a step in one day solving the issue of intestinal failure in babies and adults as well as developing a treatment for short bowel syndrome