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Vein Grown From Her Own Stem Cells Saves 10-Year-Old

An anonymous reader writes in with a story about a milestone in stem cell medicine. "A ten year old girl became the first person in the world to get a major blood vessel replaced by one grown using her own stem cells. The 10-year-old from Sweden had a blockage of a vein from her liver. The doctors decided to give her a new vein instead of a liver transplant or giving her a vein from her own body, Associated Press reported. The team from University of Gothenburg first took 9 cm vein segment from a dead man and stripped all living cells from it, leaving behind only a protein structure. They later reconstructed the vein by using cells from the girl's own bone marrow. The new graft was then put in the girl's body two weeks later."

3 of 169 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Is it necessary the vien come from a dead human by masternerdguy · · Score: 5, Funny

    "I believe that children are our future..unless we stop them now." -- Homer Simpson.

    --
    To offset political mods, replace Flamebait with Insightful.
  2. disgusting and deplorable by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    This is just the kind of awful socialism that happens when the government funds scientific research.

    We need more expensive and less effective procedures which ensure a steady flow of income from the patient.

    The free market would have done a much better job.

  3. Re:Is it necessary the vien come from a dead human by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd imagine your right but I'm not a biologist

    Nor a master of basic written English.

    Thank you for your contribution. This thread would have suffered for lack of your pedantry despite the clear communication that the GP made.