Scientists Successfully Grow V*ginas in Lab, Implant Them Into Patients
Women born without vaginas, or those
who want sex change can now smile as
Scientists have successfully grown vaginas in a
laboratory and implanted them into four
teenage patients.
The new organs have been given to women born with a rare genetic condition in
which the vagina and uterus are underdeveloped or absent. The
treatment could also potentially be
applied to patients with vaginal cancer or injuries,
according to the U.S. researchers.
The researchers, from the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's
Institute for Regenerative Medicine,
say four teenage girls have successfully received vaginal organs that were
engineered with their own cells Writing in The Lancet, programme leader by Dr
Anthony Atala, said:
'This pilot study is the first to demonstrate that vaginal organs can be
constructed in the lab and
used successfully in
humans.This may represent a new option
for patients who require vaginal reconstructive surgeries. In addition, this
study is one more example of how regenerative medicine strategies can be
applied to a variety of tissues and organs.' The vaginas were engineered
using muscle and epithelial cells (the cells that line the body's cavities)
from a small biopsy of each patient's external genitals.The cells were then
extracted from the tissues, expanded and then placed on a biodegradable
material that was hand-sewn into a vagina-like shape. These scaffolds were
tailor-made to fit each patient.
"Yuanyuan Zhang demonstrates the process where four young women born with
abnormal or missing vaginas were implanted with lab-grown versions made from
their own cells"
A variety of materials can be used to surgically construct a new vagina – from skin grafts to tissue that lines the abdominal cavity. However, these substitutes often lack a normal muscle layer and some patients can develop a narrowing or contracting of the vagina.
A variety of materials can be used to surgically construct a new vagina – from skin grafts to tissue that lines the abdominal cavity. However, these substitutes often lack a normal muscle layer and some patients can develop a narrowing or contracting of the vagina.
Source: Mailonline
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