Scientists Grow Human Thymus From Stem Cells

knight_23 writes: "The Herald Sun reports that Australian researchers have grown a functioning thymus from stem cells. The thymus is a small organ that is critical to the immune system. Human trials could begin within two years."

Comments

yes, but...

[TweeKinDaBahx]

Will that new liver/lungs I wanted for christmas be plug and play compliant?

Little FYI on the THY:

[damu]

The functions of the thymus were not well understood until the early 1960s, when its role in the development of the body's system of immunity was discovered. Beginning during fetal development, the thymus processes many of the body's lymphocytes, which migrate throughout the body via the bloodstream, seeding lymph nodes and other lymphatic tissue. The main cells undergoing this processing are the T cells, a heterogeneous groups of cells essential in protecting the body against invasions by foreign organisms. If the thymus fails to develop or is removed early in fetal life, the immune system cannot develop completely. Normally, by the time the infant is a few months old, the immune system has sufficiently formed so as to function throughout life. However, further growth and development of lymphoid tissue still depends on intervention by the thymic cells. After the initial seeding process, the thymus releases a hormonal substance that stimulates further growth of lymphoidal tissue, although such a substance has not yet been isolated.
dam()

Umbilical Stem Cells

[Yoda2]

It is too bad that more hospitals aren't allowing the donation of umbilical stem cells (stem cells collected from cord blood). They are largely an untapped resource and are usually considered PC even in the most conservative camps.

Re:Umbilical Stem Cells

[lobsterGun]

Even though the hospital may not support fetal stem cell donation, that does not stop you from banking the cells yourself. There are commercial services that will bank these cells for you for a resasonable fee. ViaCord and CBR are two such services.

I chose CBR for my son. I pray that he never needs the cells, but if he does, they will be there.

Best quote... of DEATH!

[Dirtside]

"Without a functioning immune system you get a disease called death," he said.

This sounds like one of those quotes from sensationalistic sci-fi pulp novels... "He found himself in a world of mayhem... and death!"

Not that that's a bad thing, mind you. I just hope we don't end up with giant killer thymuses (thymi? nah) rampaging through downtown Cleveland. Again.

Wrong focus?

[Dirtside]

It seems that the Herald Sun's article is focusing on how great the thymus is, and all the nifty things it can do -- when the real breakthrough is the fact that they GREW A FRICKIN' FUNCTIONING ORGAN FROM STEM CELLS. Jesus Christ! Move this tech over to the heart, liver, kidneys, whatever, and NOW you've got the "holy grail of immunology". Yeah, I realize it's a lot of work to do something like this, and requires specialized effort and development for different organs, but if the basic technology works... ay caramba.

Maybe I'm missing something, and this isn't as big a deal as I think it is... but if it is...

Mr. T-cells.

[herrd0kt0r]

quote:
"The thymus produces, educates and distributes special white cells called T lymphocytes (T-cells) which help to control the immune system and fight infection.

But T-cells are destroyed when cancer patients undergo chemotherapy and also by the AIDS virus. The cells are also suppressed in people who have had organ transplants."

this is a significant problem that is one of the biggest factors leading to disease in immunocompromised patients. the reason why they're also suppressed in patients with organ transplants is that they require immunosuppresant therapy, so that they own body doesn't reject the donor organ.

in a nutshell, your body doesn't like non-self things. if there's a non-self thing in your system, say, someone else's liver, your immune system will flip out and demonstrate Real Ultimate Power.

what's needed is some sort of component that can be introduced into the body that can aid the immune system intelligently. something that resists destruction by chemotherapy, and something that is "smart" enough to know what to attack, and what to leave alone. T-cells don't do this.

nanotechnology offers this. i know it's going to be years from now, but i hope that scientists will be able to shrink Mr. T into an injectable form. These Mr. T-cells will seek out and berate questionable cells and foreign bodies and beat them down, if necessary.

some genetic work may be needed to strengthen its intelligence such that the Mr. T-cells don't kill everything in sight.

"what's all this jibba-jabba bout chemo?"
"i pity the immune system who ain't got no T."

Re:politcal debate

[Kenja]

So because you saw on TV a show where clones where treated as slaves we shouldn't grow new livers for people who are going to die without one?

The hell?

Once again, SF gets there first

[devphil]

I think at some point, if it isn't already happening, people will start taking larger chances with their bodies and health, because of this insurance policy.

A number of Larry Niven's stories in his future history "Known Space" cycle touch on this point, but arrived at a reverse conclusion in some cases: because people lived longer, they took fewer chances.

Even Hollywood will give you examples of this, although usually they look at it from the other end: "I've only got to live, so I'll go do something heroic which will probably result in my death, but big friggin' deal because I'm about to die."

The extension of that line of thought predicted by many SF authors is, "I've got three centuries of good livin' in front of me if I don't fuck it up, so why risk it all doing something possibly dangerous, like mountain climbing, deep-sea diving, or attempting to cross the street in downtown Chicago."

(The SF-aspect of the stories usually involves activities that we would think of as typical being perceived, in the brave new world, as "something possibly dangerous".)