Patches for a Broken Heart

dnahelix writes: "From NASA, Patches for a Broken Heart Using a space-age device called a bioreactor, researchers have grown patches of tissue that beat and respond much like a human heart does. This was reported in October of 1999, Scientists Grow Heart Tissue in Bioreactor, however, it appears progress is being made. The new article includes an animated gif of pulsing tissue!" From the article: "They'll pick a rate and they'll beat at it," says Freed. "If you blow on them, they'll change." They're very sensitive to stimulation, she says. "If they warm up or cool down, if someone slams the door, their rate can change."

Too late

[spt]

I needed a patch for a broken heart on the 14th

Re:Too late

[questionlp]

I hear you... my heart was like a stone but then it was shattered several times into millions of pieces. sigh.

Re:Too late

[Jaysyn]

Ditto....

Jaysyn

I hope these don't work like

[immanis]

Those dancing Xmas trees, Coke Cans and so on, that react differently to music. Else this tech could be used ro raise massive armies of super-destructive coordinated dancers.

Thank goodness . . .

[acceleriter]

. . . CmdrTaco won't need this patch, since Kathleen said yes.

Cool...

[Lord Sauron]

Soon people won't need a pacemaker anymore. They will just use the preemptive patch.

Pulsing tissue...

[eggstasy]

...would make a great dil^H^H^H adult toy! ;))))
Ok, ok, I know, I'm a perv. Sorry :)
But if you think about it, this could revolutionize the whole industry, really. How much more realistic could a "toy" get than actual living pulsing flesh?

There's tons of lonely people out there, sick of plastic, glass and cold metal, yearning for the real thing. We should not look down at such devices, they provide a valuable service to the "beauty-deprived" who nevertheless should be able to experience a realistic sexual experience.

Remember your Maslow pyramid: Sex is a basic human need (and right), placed on the same level as eating, drinking and using the WC.

A big step but...

[azephrahel]

This is a big step but, where is a more scientific paper on the subject? The links on the page are about the same calliber imo.

Anyway like I was saying, this is a big step. I have to wonder if/when there planning on implanting the tissue patch into a living heart. Some of you were mentioning its use in a pacemaker, and thats not quite right. The reason this contracts so randomly, and is so sensitive, is most likely due to the lack of the bio-feedback mechinism that controlls heart rate (sorry I forget the name of the exact nerve and bundle that does this). The important test will be to stick this into a real heart, and see if the patch beats in sync with the rest. Not the other way around.

I'm sure the more acedemic release on this experiment talks about this. Anyone find links I didn't? I'd be quite interested to hear.

eh?

[nyke]

Take a look at the animated gif. If this is their proof, it's not very convincing. The image is the same three frames looped. Wow, a heartbeat... no different that pumping a dead body full of electricity and getting a muscular response. What a croc of shit.

Idea

[Bossofall]

Instead of saving rich peoples lives lets use this technology to build door bells and chimes. This is somthing, after all, that could benifit us all. When a door is opened or closed the muscle will contract, sendning a signal to a buzzer. Life will be much better with this kind of biotechnology, and rich people can just learn to eat better food to live longer.

My only fear...

[bigdreamer]

...is that Microsoft would implement the patches.

Wow!

[42forty-two42]

> The new article includes an animated gif of pulsing tissue!

Amazing! I've never seen that before! This is the best thing since sliced bread!