British scientists grow human liver in a laboratory

[tritsofme]

British scientists have grown the world's first artificial liver from stem cells in a breakthrough that will one day provide entire organs for transplant.

The technique that created the 'mini-liver', currently the size of a one pence piece, will be developed to create a full-size functioning liver.

Described as a 'Eureka moment' by the Newcastle University researchers, the tissue was created from blood taken from babies' umbilical cords just a few minutes after birth.

As it stands, the mini organ can be used to test new drugs, preventing disasters such as the recent 'Elephant Man' drug trial. Using lab-grown liver tissue would also reduce the number of animal experiments.

Within five years, pieces of artificial tissue could be used to repair livers damaged by injury, disease, alcohol abuse and paracetamol overdose.

<SNIP>
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23372701-details/British+scientists+grow+human+liver+in+a+laboratory/article.do

How those who purport to be "pro-life" can oppose such amazing research as this is beyond me.

[Chipper Chat]

1. The pro-lifers will reject a cure for cancer when it comes

by saying "curing a disease by artificial means would be against God's will."

[dipsydoodle]

2. Does it follow

that if they did the same with lamb's liver I could have liver and bacon without the need to kill a lamb ?

[Vidar]

3. Good for the scientists & Britain

[B Calm]

4. Wacko right wingers will call this baby harvesting

[Cobalt Violet]

5. This is great news. Recommended.

This will no doubt save lots of lives.

[Crayson]

6. I think this ha nothing to do with stem cells or anything...

I'm not a pro, but have some biological knowledge.

Liver cells are know for their regenerative abilities.
For example, alcoholics' livers can partly regenerate if they really stop drinking.
Just taking a bit of tissue and putting it into a nutritious solution is nothing that should incite "ethical problems"

i think that the main problem is that a huge portion of the population just doesn't understand anymore what's happening in the scientists labs, and where you do not know something fantasy and the pictures from horror movies come in.

All those people oposing genetical and stem cell research should just spend ONE HOUR in a genetics laboratory.
I can tell you it's TOTALLY UNspectacular and those sperms an egg cells and embryos that you can't even see or touch because they are microscopic have nothing to do with killing a human being.

It's the same as a grain of silicon sand like billions of other grains on a beach.
But hey!! That grain of silicate MIGHT ONE DAY become a powerful CPU of some supercomputer.
It might! It has the potential!
Or then again it might just be used for something completly different, like paving a new road to make traffic easier.

Why shouldn't stem cells or invitro created embryos be used to make our LIFE easier?
Because they MIGHT HAVE become something else?

[C_U_L8R]

7. Just add Fava beans and a nice Chianti

it must be for Cheney's personal supply

[crikkett]

8. new livers on tap

woo hoo!
:toast:

on edit: I couldn't help the bad joke, sorry

[trotsky]

9. Incredible - what a wonderful advance.

K&R!

[elehhhhna]

10. QUICK! Send it to Hitchens!

[SmokingJacket]

11. Amazing news. Note that paracetamol = acetaminophen = tylenol.

Tylenol/acetaminophen overdose is THE major cause of liver failure, but no one seems to be aware of this. It doesn't take much -- we're not talking the whole bottle.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55529

Maybe the makers of Tylenol should be funding this research.

[ContraBass Black]

12. Good news, but it's a very big step from a liver to any other major organ.

[spoony]

13. Um, actually no one is against this one

These were not embryonic stem cells, they were umbilical stem cells. Let's keep our issues clear, eh?

[originalpckelly]

14. They don't oppose this, they oppose embryonic stem cell research...

but you are right, no pro-lifer would be against it because it is just like an organ donation. The embryos will be thrown in the trash anyway, and no is going to shut down fertility clinics, so we should use that tragedy to help prevent another.

[KittyWampus]

15. this is using stem cells from neo-nate umbilical cord blood not blastocytes.

[eppur_se_muova]

17. Thanks for highlighting that. No one should mind this.

Placentas and umbilical cords have been routinely use in medical research for decades.

[eppur_se_muova]

18. Liver cells grown from cord blood (BBC) {nice, clear headline}

Scientists in the UK say they have grown tiny sections of human liver.

The sections of liver were created using stem cells from umbilical cords by a team at Newcastle University.

It is hoped the "mini-livers" will be used to test drugs, avoiding incidents like the Northwick Park trial in which six patients became seriously ill.

But other experts warned, because the work was unpublished, it was not possible to assess its worth and that cells made in this way were unreliable.

Researchers Dr Nico Forraz and Professor Colin McGuckin have started a company called ConoStem in an effort to market their stem cell work.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6101420.stm

[daleo]

19. But many religious nuts are against the use of blood, too

For medical purposes. So you could find some fundamentalists who would oppose this.

[KittyWampus]

20. that I didn't know. It figures. Wonder what their twisted rational is.

[daleo]

21. I think there is a verse in the Bible that 'bans' blood

At a minimum, Jehovah's Witnesses are very much against the use of blood for medical purposes (e.g. transfusions). I think there are some others too.

I don't think it stops them from eating meat though.

[rateyes]

16. Now, if they could only find a way to....

grow a brain for Flush Limbaugh (and a few others).