We
can grow that...
As
most of you that read the excerpts provided on this blog know, medicine is
constantly evolving and advancing. Alongside the movements in technology, the
practice of medicine has had to adjust and has most definitely benefited from
the incredible pushes in science over the past fifteen years. From genetics to
the common cold remedy, the twenty-first century offers a type of unrivaled
individualized medicine. Take for example a new method for reconstructive
surgery highlighted in an article written by Susan Brink from National Geographic, which focuses on
the total repair of lost secondary appendages of the face via a reconstructive surgery
that takes advantage of the patient’s own skin, vasculature, and cells (1).
This
is a novel idea given that Hollywood and other avenues have produced movies
where things like arms and legs are grown off of people’s bodies to supply them
with a new, fully functional, arm or leg. It seems that with these types of
reconstructive surgery we are one step closer to achieving that level. Tateki et
al. discusses one such case where titanium mesh, pressed into the shape of the
ear, was inserted into the radial portion of a patient’s forearm. After three
years, the patient was not only cosmetically pleased, but the ear also showed
no signs of exposure, and the patient could even wear glasses comfortably (2). Interestingly enough, the operators chose to use titanium mesh because of how easily malleable yet sturdy the
metal is and the fact that there is a low allergenic response from the majority
of individuals Further, the mesh is porous, which allows the vasculature and other soft tissue to
penetrate and offer nutrients to the newly formed skin and for re-connection when the “man-made ear” is surgically added to the patient (2). Lastly, the
metal is chemically inert, which means that it’s not going to readily react
with anything in the body nor should it be carcinogenous. I’m pretty shocked and excited by
this whole idea. I mean, if we can grow secondary appendages, I feel like it
won’t be long until we can also grow fully functional fingers, toes, arms, and
legs, eliminating the whole idea of losing a limb or being an amputee.
So, to answer the question if we have the technology to grow back arms
like starfish or tails like some species of lizards soon may be, “We can grow that…”
References:
1 )Brink, Susan. Why does this man have a
nose on his forehead? [Online]. National
Geographic. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/09/130928-nose-forehead-ear-arm-reconstructive-surgery-medical-science/
[3 Oct. 2013].
2)
Tateki K, Koichi T, Akiyoshi T, Kenji Y,
Ko H.Reconstruction of adult auricular defect with thin titanium mesh and
prelaminated free radial forearm flap. Scandinavian
Journal of Plastic& Reconstructive Surgery and Hand Surgery 43(1):
54-57, Jan. 2009.
Garrett,
ReplyDeleteCool stuff. I heard about the ear business a few years ago and thought of it more as a Frankenstein project at the time, but it sounds like we may be trending toward having actual medical uses for growing new organs. A new ear (or face?) could be life-changing for a burn victim, but I imagine that the ear would only be epithelial and not possess any auditory signal transduction structures. Along the same lines I have heard that they are now able to grow urinary bladders in vitro from a culture of the patient’s own cells and transplant the semi-artificial bladder back into the patient. I think growing new organs helps address the issue of short supply of donor organs, but this field seems limited to the aforementioned types of structures. Like you, I would like to think that someday we will be able to give patients replacement limbs instead of prosthetics, but realistically I think the complexity of limbs means this is long way off. It would seem that for a viable “grown organ” to work, we would first have to be able to transplant one from another individual. We see this in heart transplants, valve replacements, bladder transplants, etc, but I haven’t heard of an arm or foot transplant, which makes me doubtful that if we could grow a hand that we could attach it given all the complex vasculature and nerves. Having said this, I am constantly surprised by the innovation of science, so hopefully they will surprise me in this field. I know there are countless individuals whose lives would be changed by this technology.
Ref:
http://www.wakehealth.edu/News-Releases/2006/Wake_Forest_Physician_Reports_First_Human_Recipients_of_Laboratory-Grown_Organs.htm