PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

How to grow a human lung

2015-03-25
(Press-News.org) Scientists from the University of Michigan have grown the first 3D mini lungs from stem cells. The study, published in eLife, compliments other developments in the field such as growing mainly 2D structures and building lung tissue from the scaffold of donated organs.

The advantage of growing 3D structures is that their organisation bears greater similarity to the human lung. The scientists succeeded in growing structures resembling both the large proximal airways and the small distal airways

Lead author Dr Jason Spence says: "We expected different cells types to form, but their organisation into structures resembling human airways surprised us and is a very exciting result."

Ingredients

Embryonic stem cells Proteins involved in lung development Growth factors Inhibitors of intestine development Growing media Petri dish Protein mixture

Method for "morphogenesis in a dish"

First, add protein ActivinA to stem cells and leave for four days. A type of tissue called endoderm will form. Endoderm is found in early embryos and gives rise to the lung, liver and several other internal organs.

Add Noggin, another protein, and a transforming growth factor. Leave for another four days. You will find the endoderm is induced to form 3D spherical structures called the foregut spheroids.

The next challenge is to make these structures expand and develop into lung tissue by exposing the cells to proteins involved in lung development.

Transfer spheroids to protein mixture and incubate at room temperature for 10 minutes until the mixture solidifies. Treat with additional proteins every four days and transfer into a new protein mixture every 10-15 days.

The resulting lung organoids should survive in culture for over 100 days and develop into well-organised structures containing cell types found in the lung. You will find the lung organoids are self-organizing, and do not require further manipulation to generate 3-dimensional tissues.

Previous studies have focused on forming the outer tissue of the lung (the epithelium). With this new method, you will be able to go one step further by also creating connective tissue (mesenchyme). In a more recent study, distal airway tissue was formed, which gives rise to the small airways less than 2mm in diameter. With the new method, cells of the large proximal airways also form, enabling more complete study of lung development and lung diseases.

Additional options:

Add the foregut spheroids to a lung scaffold from a human lung - use one deemed unsuitable for transplantation. On this scaffold, uou will find the organoids mature faster.

To study genetic disorders that affect lung development, produce stem cell lines from affected patients or introduce mutations to healthy cells. This will allow you to observe how a mutation affects cell differentiation, tissue organization, and tissue growth.

Future developments:

Since these structures were developed in a dish, they are lacking several components of the native lung, including blood vessels, which are a critical component of gas exchange.

We hope to build on our initial findings to build increasingly complex mini-lungs by adding these components, eventually forming tiny organs able to perform functions related to breathing.

INFORMATION:

Reference

The paper 'In vitro generation of human pluripotent stem cell derived lung organoids' can be freely accessed online at http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05098. Contents, including text, figures, and data, are free to re-use under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Media contact

Jennifer Mitchell, eLife
j.mitchell@elifesciences.org
+44 (0) 1223 855 373

About eLife Sciences Publications Ltd

eLife is a unique collaboration between the funders and practitioners of research to improve the way important research is selected, presented, and shared. eLife publishes outstanding works across the life sciences and biomedicine -- from basic biological research to applied, translational, and clinical studies. eLife is supported by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Max Planck Society, and the Wellcome Trust. Learn more at elifesciences.org.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Marketing, prescribing testosterone and growth hormone for aging is disease mongering

2015-03-24
(Boston) - The marketing, prescribing and selling of testosterone and growth hormone as panaceas for aging-associated problems is disease mongering. So assert Thomas Perls, MD, MPH, FACP, a geriatrician at Boston Medical Center and professor of Geriatrics and Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine; and David Handelsman, MB BS, FRACP, PhD, professor of Reproductive Endocrinology and Andrology, director of the ANZAC Research Institute, University of Sydney and Andrology Department, Concord Hospital. Their editorial is published in this month's Journal of the American ...

After learning new words, brain sees them as pictures

2015-03-24
WASHINGTON -- When we look at a known word, our brain sees it like a picture, not a group of letters needing to be processed. That's the finding from a Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, which shows the brain learns words quickly by tuning neurons to respond to a complete word, not parts of it. Neurons respond differently to real words, such as turf, than to nonsense words, such as turt, showing that a small area of the brain is "holistically tuned" to recognize complete words, says the study's senior author, Maximilian ...

Could a tampon one day help predict endometrial cancer? Mayo Clinic researchers say yes

2015-03-24
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Researchers at Mayo Clinic have shown that it is possible to detect endometrial cancer using tumor DNA picked up by ordinary tampons. The new approach specifically examines DNA samples from vaginal secretions for the presence of chemical "off" switches -- known as methylation -- that can disable genes that normally keep cancer in check. The finding is a critical step toward a convenient and effective screening test for endometrial cancer, which is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States. The results are published in the journal ...

NASA-funded mission studies the Sun in soft X-rays

NASA-funded mission studies the Sun in soft X-rays
2015-03-24
At any given moment, our sun emits a range of light waves far more expansive than what our eyes alone can see: from visible light to extreme ultraviolet to soft and hard X-rays. Different wavelengths can have different effects at Earth and, what's more, when observed and analyzed correctly, those wavelengths can provide scientists with information about events on the sun. In 2012 and 2013, a detector was launched on a sounding rocket for a 15 minute trip to look at a range of sunlight previously not well-observed: soft X-rays. Each wavelength of light from the sun inherently ...

NASA satellites catch 'growth spurt' from newborn protostar

NASA satellites catch growth spurt from newborn protostar
2015-03-24
Using data from orbiting observatories, including NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, and ground-based facilities, an international team of astronomers has discovered an outburst from a star thought to be in the earliest phase of its development. The eruption, scientists say, reveals a sudden accumulation of gas and dust by an exceptionally young protostar known as HOPS 383. Stars form within collapsing fragments of cold gas clouds. As the cloud contracts under its own gravity, its central region becomes denser and hotter. By the end of this process, the collapsing fragment ...

Are our schools damaging children's eyes?

2015-03-24
Over the last 30 years, short sight, or myopia, has become a global health problem. The most dramatic rise has been in Singapore, Taiwan, China's cities and elsewhere in East Asia. Rates can be as high as 80-90 per cent among children leaving secondary schools in the region. As many as a fifth of them have severe myopia and so are at high risk of eye problems in later life. In Western countries rates are increasing; although not as rapidly as in East Asia. The Myopia Mystery The cause of myopia, and the means to prevent it, are unclear despite more than 150 years of ...

Patients with asymptomatic pancreatic cysts do not need constant surveillance

2015-03-24
Bethesda, MD (March 24, 2015) -- A new guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) changes clinical practice by recommending longer surveillance periods for patients with asymptomatic pancreatic cysts and new criteria that limits surgery to those who will receive the most benefit. It is estimated that more than 15 percent of patients who visit a doctor's office or hospital outpatient department will receive an MRI or other type of scan,2 and of those, about 15 percent will have incidental pancreatic cysts. Once detected, these cysts trigger anxiety ...

CV organizations issue recommendations for minimally invasive valve treatments for children, adults

2015-03-24
Washington, DC (March 24, 2015) - As congenital heart disease (CHD) treatment advances, children with these conditions are living into adulthood, and over time, they may need additional treatment. A new expert consensus paper released today by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) provides guidance on transcatheter pulmonic valve replacement, or tPVR, for children and adults who were previously treated for CHD. Pulmonary ...

Second Tommy John surgery linked to performance decline, shortened career

Second Tommy John surgery linked to performance decline, shortened career
2015-03-24
DETROIT - Major League Baseball pitchers who underwent a second Tommy John surgery saw their performance decline and their career shortened, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital. In a retrospective, case-controlled study, researchers analyzed performance and longevity data of 33 pitchers who had a second surgery following the original elbow reconstruction between 1996 and 2012 and compared them with pitchers of similar age who had no prior Tommy John surgery. Key findings for pitchers after a second surgery: 65 percent returned to pitching at MLB level. On ...

First Nations migration dynamics are shaped by socioeconomic inequalities

2015-03-24
This news release is available in French. Socio-economic inequalities between First Nations communities, and also between these communities and the non-Aboriginal population of Canada, determine the nature, the intensity and the direction of First Nations migration flows. Pursuing educational careers, finding work, and seeking better health and living conditions are the main reasons for First Nations migration. These are the findings of research by Marilyn Amorevieta-Gentil, Robert Bourbeau and Norbert Robitaille, of the University of Montreal, which were presented ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Scientists trace origins of now extinct plant population from volcanically active Nishinoshima

AI algorithm based on routine mammogram + age can predict women’s major cardiovascular disease risk

New hurdle seen to prostate screening: primary-care docs

MSU researchers explore how virtual sports aid mental health

Working together, cells extend their senses

Cheese fungi help unlock secrets of evolution

Researchers find brain region that fuels compulsive drinking

Mental health effects of exposure to firearm violence persist long after direct exposure

Research identifies immune response that controls Oropouche infection and prevents neurological damage

University of Cincinnati, Kent State University awarded $3M by NSF to share research resources

Ancient DNA reveals deeply complex Mastodon family and repeated migrations driven by climate change

Measuring the quantum W state

Researchers find a way to use antibodies to direct T cells to kill Cytomegalovirus-infected cells

Engineers create mini microscope for real-time brain imaging

Funding for training and research in biological complexity

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: September 12, 2025

ISSCR statement on the scientific and therapeutic value of human fetal tissue research

Novel PET tracer detects synaptic changes in spinal cord and brain after spinal cord injury

Wiley advances Knowitall Solutions with new trendfinder application for user-friendly chemometric analysis and additional enhancements to analytical workflows

Benchmark study tracks trends in dog behavior

OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Google vary widely in identifying hate speech

Research spotlight: Study identifies a surprising new treatment target for chronic limb threatening ischemia

Childhood loneliness and cognitive decline and dementia risk in middle-aged and older adults

Parental diseases of despair and suicidal events in their children

Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in older adults

Acupuncture treatment improves disabling effects of chronic low back pain in older adults

How interstellar objects similar to 3I/ATLAS could jump-start planet formation around infant stars

Rented e-bicycles more dangerous than e-scooters in cities

Ditches as waterways: Managing ‘ditch-scapes’ to strengthen communities and the environment

In-situ molecular passivation enables pure-blue perovskite LEDs via vacuum thermal evaporation

[Press-News.org] How to grow a human lung