Vein Grown From Her Own Stem Cells Saves 10-Year-Old 169
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."
Re:Is it necessary the vien come from a dead human (Score:5, Funny)
Controversy. (Score:5, Funny)
Prof. Hubert J. Farnsworth: Come on, stem cells, work your astounding scientific nonsense!
Philip J. Fry: Fetal stem cells? Aren't those controversial?
Prof. Hubert J. Farnsworth: In your time, yes. But nowadays... shut up! Besides, these are adult stem cells, harvested from healthy adults whom I've killed for their stem cells.
disgusting and deplorable (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.
Re:Is it necessary the vien come from a dead human (Score:5, Funny)
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.
Re:Is it necessary the vien come from a dead human (Score:5, Funny)
"Is it necessary the vien come from a dead human?"
Well, not necessary, but a live human is hard to hold down when you try to cut away a piece of their major blood vessels.