Growing Your Own Organs

There are many advantages of growing your own transplant organs. You would not have to spend weeks on end waiting for a potential donor. You would not have to worry about tissue rejection. You would not have to suffer from the side effects of immune suppressant drugs. You would not have to worry about potential diseases that the donor had.

Granted, there are a few problems that need to be overcome. These problems include providing the scaffolding upon which the organ can develop, chemical enticements to stimulate the development of a circulatory system, including the correct types of cells, and finding healthy cells to work with. But growing transplant organs from your own cells may not be too far off in the future. Some techniques may be available within 10 to 20 years.

• What body organs and tissues would you like to grow from your own cells?