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Sheep Heart Valve Replacement Created In Lab?

By Adam Pick on April 19, 2008

As we have already discussed, there is much interest in stem cells and heart valve replacements these days. Here's an interesting report about heart valve tissue generation in sheep.

A Wake Forest University researcher has successfully created eighteen types of tissue, including a sheep heart valve, in his laboratory.

Dr. Anthony Atala, who is studying the science behind growing new organs, uses cells in a laboratory and an ink-jet printer for the purpose.

Sheep Heart Valve Made At Wake Forest Lab

"When people ask me 'what do you do,' we grow tissues and organs. We are making body parts that we can implant right back into patients," the Environmental News Network quoted him as telling CBS. He believes that soon researchers will start growing organs like human hearts in laboratories from a patient's own cells, doing away with the need for organ donors. Atala even hopes that the injection of stem cells will facilitate the healing of damaged organs internally, reducing the need for open-heart surgery and other invasive procedures.

Keep on tickin!
Adam

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Written by Adam Pick
Patient & Website Founder

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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