A major problem that exists in the United States today is the unavailability of organs for necessary transplants. However, with the use of a new technique, man-made tissues or organs, known as "neo-organs" are being created. This would increase the supply of organs and therefore save many lives.
There are two procedures used to fix a wound or an organ that needs to be regenerated. The first procedure creates new tissue and involves a tissue engineer injecting a given molecule, such as a growth factor, into the wound or organ. The patient's own cells are caused to migrate into the wound site, change into the correct cell type, and regenerate the tissue. The second procedure creates new organs and involves placing cells into three-dimensional scaffolds of biodegradable polymers. The whole structure of cells and scaffolding is placed into the wound site. The cells then replicate, reorganize and form new tissue. At the same time, the artificial scaffolding breaks down, leaving a totally natural product, a neo-organ.
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