Scientists grow functional organ in lab
26 Aug 2014
Scientists have for the first time grown a complex, fully functional organ from scratch in a living animal by transplanting cells that were originally created in a laboratory.
The team from the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh created a thymus - an organ in the body located next to the heart that produces immune cells known as T cells that are vital for guarding against disease.
The advance could in future aid the development of ’lab-grown’ replacement organs.
