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

Stem cell-based bioartificial tissues and organs

Pioneering stem cell-based transplant technology is being developed and tested on new organs and tissues

2013-02-18
(Press-News.org) Surgeon Paolo Macchiarini has made his name by successfully transplanting bioengineered stem cell-based trachea, composed of both artificial and biological material. He now plans to use the technique to recreate more complex tissues, such as the oesophagus and diaphragm or organs such as the heart and lungs. He has also made an experimental attempt to regenerate brain in mice and rats. This is part of the news he will be presenting during his seminar at the scientific AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston.

In June 2011, media all over the world reported about a ground breaking transplant, where a patient received an artificial trachea covered in his own stem cells. The result was an artificial windpipe with biological functions. To date, five operations have been carried out using this technique.

"We learn something from each operation. This means we can develop and refine the technique. We are also evaluating how we can transfer our experiences to other fields, such as neurology. The aim is to make as much use of the body's own healing potential as we can", says Paolo Macchiarini, Professor of Regenerative Surgery at Karolinska Institutet, and responsible for the surgery.

At the AAAS Annual Meeting, he will talk about how he believes the technology can be used in the future. This will include:

The plan to operate on a 2 year-old girl in the USA in March. The girl was born without a trachea and has lived her entire life in intensive care, where she breathes through a tube placed in the oesophagus and connected directly to the lungs. Without a new trachea, she will never be able to leave the hospital. This will be the first time the procedure is conducted on a small child. It is also the first time the procedure will be conducted on an individual without a trachea - as previously, diseased organs have been replaced.

There are also plans to transplant the oesophagus, an organ that is more complex than a trachea as it has muscles.

In experimental trials on rats, the research team has investigated the possibility to replace brain matter that has been damaged by serious trauma sustained from events such as traffic accidents, gunshot wounds or surgery. The aim is to replace the lost brain matter with a cultivated stem cell based substance and in turn, avoid neurological damage. The experimental attempt that has been conducted on rats and mice has shown positive results.

On two occasions, severely injured patients with acute refractory lung failure received stem cell based therapy showing immediate functional improvement. Although both patients died as a consequence of multi-organ failure, the result has provided the first evidence that stem cell therapy can be a promising alternative to restore function in certain damaged organs - without the need for them to be removed and replaced with healthy donor organs.

### You are welcome to attend the symposium: "Stem Cell-Based Bioartificial Tissues and Organs"
Time: Monday 18 February 09:45 am - 11:15 am
Location: Hynes Convention Center, Boston, room 207
http://aaas.confex.com/aaas/2013/webprogram/Session5979.html

Download photos of Paolo Macchiarini http://ki.se/ki/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=26591&a=69817&l=en or generic video material of educational and research environments at Karolinska Institutet http://ki.se/pressroom.

For further information, please contact: Sabina Bossi, International media relations officer END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

ASU professors study the social dynamics of scientific collaborations

2013-02-18
BOSTON -- Society currently faces profound social and environmental challenges that must be met to secure a sustainable future for humanity. A major challenge in achieving this goal is discovering how best to synthesize important findings and ideas from many disciplines and use them to produce scientifically informed social and environmental policy. This task is not easy. Different disciplines use different theories and methods, and scientists and policy makers rarely work together. New types of research centers are needed, as are new ways of organizing collaborations ...

Loyalty is trump

2013-02-18
A skilful negotiator can save a lot of money when shopping in his favourite store. This was found out by researchers at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) in a large-scale study. An extra five percent discount is, on average, no problem - as long as you know how to use your customer loyalty as a trump. The credo turned on its head For loyal customers, the price is not so important – at least, that was the credo in marketing and sales up to now. The recently published study by the Bochum scientists Prof. Jan Wieseke, Sascha Alavi and Johannes Habel of the Faculty of Economics ...

3D Printing Powerhouse Solidoodle Announces First Press Conference. Solidoodle To Launch Manhattan 3D Auxiliary With Ensemble

2013-02-18
Solidoodle, the most affordable 3D printer on the market according to ABC, will hold its first official press conference on Thursday, February 28th at 10:00 am. The press conference will be held at Ensemble, located at 1150 Avenue of the Americas, 6th floor. Over 100 members of the media will be present to hear about the industry-shaking steps Solidoodle is taking to assert itself as the world leader in affordable desktop 3D printing. Solidoodle will announce several key partnerships as well as discuss the company's efforts to impact the defense, art, education, design, ...

Fighting disease deep inside the brain

2013-02-18
Some 90,000 patients per year are treated for Parkinson's disease, a number that is expected to rise by 25 percent annually. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), which consists of electrically stimulating the central or peripheral nervous system, is currently standard practice for treating Parkinson's, but it can involve long, expensive surgeries with dramatic side effects. Miniature, ultra-flexible electrodes developed in Switzerland, however, could be the answer to more successful treatment for this and a host of other health issues. Today, Professor Philippe Renaud of the ...

The quest for a better bionic hand

2013-02-18
For an amputee, replacing a missing limb with a functional prosthetic can alleviate physical or emotional distress and mean a return of vocational ability or cosmetics. Studies show, however, that up to 50 percent of hand amputees still do not use their prosthesis regularly due to less than ideal functionality, appearance, and controllability. But Silvestro Micera, of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland, is paving the way for new, smart prosthetics that connect directly to the nervous system. The benefits are more versatile prosthetics with ...

Arrhythmia culprit caught in action

2013-02-18
Using powerful X-rays, University of British Columbia researchers have reconstructed a crime scene too small for any microscope to observe – and caught the culprit of arrhythmia in action. Characterized by the heart beating too fast, too slow or inconsistently, arrhythmias may cause a decrease of blood flow to the brain and body, resulting in heart palpitation, dizziness, fainting, or even death. Presented today at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, the 3D animated model reveals for the first time how ...

Food science expert: Genetically modified crops are overregulated

Food science expert: Genetically modified crops are overregulated
2013-02-18
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It has been almost 20 years since the first genetically modified foods showed up in produce aisles throughout the United States and the rest of the world, but controversy continues to surround the products and their regulation. Bruce Chassy, a professor emeritus of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, believes that after thousands of research studies and worldwide planting, "genetically modified foods pose no special risks to consumers or the environment" and are overregulated. Chassy will elaborate on ...

Media advisory: AAAS session addresses city infrastructure design in a changing climate

2013-02-18
DURHAM, N.H. – As our climate changes, the way we engineer our cities must, too. That's the message that University of New Hampshire professor Paul Kirshen, an author of a recent report that assessed Boston's vulnerability to coastal flooding, will deliver at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting February 14-18, 2013, in Boston. Kirshen will speak coastal adaptation planning for vulnerable communities in the "Environmental Challenges and Adaptation in Cities" session (3 – 4:30 p.m., Room 308, Hynes Convention Center). He'll present ...

Modern alchemy, fusion energy and more from Princeton

2013-02-18
A possible Higgs boson of cancer and steps to give natural biodiversity a fighting chance will be among the topics Princeton University researchers will discuss during the 2013 AAAS annual meeting. Below are summaries, arranged chronologically, of the research to be presented. All information is embargoed until the beginning of the respective session. * Virtual water trade helps cope with climate change Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering Friday, Feb. 15, 8 a.m., Room 203 Climate change ...

Synthetic molecule first electricity-making catalyst to use iron to split hydrogen gas

2013-02-18
RICHLAND, Wash. -- To make fuel cells more economical, engineers want a fast and efficient iron-based molecule that splits hydrogen gas to make electricity. Online Feb. 17 at Nature Chemistry, researchers report such a catalyst. It is the first iron-based catalyst that converts hydrogen directly to electricity. The result moves chemists and engineers one step closer to widely affordable fuel cells. "A drawback with today's fuel cells is that the platinum they use is more than a thousand times more expensive than iron," said chemist R. Morris Bullock, who leads the research ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Tests to detect marijuana-impaired driving based on ‘pseudoscience’

Pigments that can do more

How to refocus in the age of distraction

The rise of 'artificial historians': AI as humanity’s record-keeper

Older paternal age linked to higher miscarriage risk and lower live birth rates in donor egg IVF cycles, new study finds

New study provides breakthrough in pig-to-human kidney transplantation

Gut bacteria and amino acid imbalance linked to higher miscarriage risk in women with PCOS

Simple blood test detects preeclampsia risk months before symptoms appear, new study shows

3D printing breakthrough: Scientists create functional human islets for type 1 diabetes treatment

Malnutrition in children rises when economy drops

New model enables the study of how protein complex influences mitochondrial function

Device study offers hopes for spinal cord injuries

How urea forms spontaneously

Mayo Clinic’s AI tool identifies 9 dementia types, including Alzheimer’s, with one scan

Gene therapy improves blood flow in the brain in patients with sickle cell disease

Building breast tissue in the lab to better understand lactation

How gut bacteria change after exposure to pesticides

Timepoint at which developing B-cells become cancerous impacts leukemia treatment

Roberto Morandotti wins prestigious IEEE Photonics Society Quantum Electronics Award 

New urine-based tumor DNA test may help personalize bladder cancer treatment

How a faulty transport protein in the brain can trigger severe epilepsy

Study reveals uneven land sinking across New Orleans, raising flood-risk concerns

Researchers uncover novel mechanism for regulating ribosome biogenesis during brain development

RNA codon expansion via programmable pseudouridine editing and decoding

Post-diagnosis emergency department presentation and demographic factors in malignant skin cancers

A new genetic tuner for embryo development

Insurance churn and the COVID-19 pandemic

Postpartum Medicaid use in birthing parents and access to financed care

Manufacturing chemicals via orthogonal strategy, making full use of waste plastic resources in real life

Study overturns long-held belief about shape of fish schools

[Press-News.org] Stem cell-based bioartificial tissues and organs
Pioneering stem cell-based transplant technology is being developed and tested on new organs and tissues