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Grow Your Own Replacement Bones

Posted by michael on from the not-made-of-adamantium-unfortunately dept.

Tim writes "New Scientist reports on a German man who had a complete jaw transplant, after having his cancerous jawbone removed nine years ago. The twist? This jawbone was grown on his shoulder, using a titanium mold, bone marrow, and recombinant bone morphogenic protein." There's also a BBC story.

6 of 331 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Great. by garcia · · Score: 5, Informative

    Umm, this really isn't for people with your typical broken bone. This is for people that need a bone replacement.

    It only took seven weeks to grow the replacement jaw-piece and then only four more weeks until it was successfully grown into place.

    For some reason I was under the impression that they had grown him an entire new jaw but that was obviously not the case as they only grew him a piece of his jawbone back. He still has no teeth and the doctors claim he can get a set next year.

    Wow.

  2. Re:Hurray for Stem Cells Research by plover · · Score: 5, Informative
    As much as I don't like Bush and the Republican party, and think their embryonic stem cell restrictions are the penultimate in luddite stupidity, you should reread the article. This jawbone was grown from his own bone marrow stem cells, and did not require embryonic stem cells. No Bushwhacking would be involved.

    Besides, this was done in Germany. Even if the Theocratic States of America succeed in shutting down all medical progress, they're happy to outsource this sort of thing. Need a new kidney? Fly to Germany, they'll be happy to grow you a new one.

    --
    John
  3. Re:Hurray for Stem Cells Research by jwriney · · Score: 4, Informative

    Don't believe the FUD. Bush is not against stem cell research. He has prevented such research that involves the destruction of human embryos from receiving federal funding. Research involving stem cells from adults, animals, and cord blood, which are all highly promising, is federally funded and ongoing.

    --riney

  4. More pictures here by hemabe · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you want to see more pictures, you can find them here.

  5. Another Article by Karma+Farmer · · Score: 4, Informative
    Another story, with pictures.

    A quote in that story, from Paul Brown, head of the Center for Tissue Regeneration Science at University College in London:
    Just making the gross tissue shape right isn't really the problem, it's what the shape of the tissue is at the microscopic and ultramicroscopic level. That's the architecture which is so tricky and which is what gives function.


  6. Actually... by GreenCrackBaby · · Score: 4, Informative
    Except that Bush is against fetal stem cell research. This kind of stem cell research is supported by Bush. This case actually helps Bush's argument.


    Actually, since this all happened in Germany, and not in the US, I think it is a pretty good case against Bush's stem cell "policy" (more like religious idiocy, imho).

    My wife finished her undergrad genetics degree (at a Canadian university) a couple of years ago, and even then she noticed an increase in the number of people from the US coming up for grad studies, since the type of work they needed to do with stem cells just wasn't possible in the US.

    Stem cell research is going to happen, with or without Bush. The only variable is the country in which it is going to happen, and right now it ain't the US.

    --

    "The market alone cannot provide sufficient constraints on corporation's penchant to cause harm." -- Joel Bakan