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Recently, Harvard biologists have developed a technology to create ureteral buds from pluripotent stem cells.

According to them, the development is the first step towards growing artificial kidneys.

What are artificial organs and what are they made of?

- All over the world, technologies related to "smart" materials are actively developing.

The creation of such materials makes it possible to grow and study artificial organs in vitro, in laboratory conditions. 

Of great interest is the development of implants from "smart" materials for cultivation (a process by which in vitro individual cells (or a single cell) are grown under controlled conditions. -

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) cells, including those taken from the patient himself.

In the future, such an implant is implanted in the patient's body.

When biodegradable materials are used, the patient's cells will begin to grow into the implant, essentially growing a new organ inside the body.

According to this principle, cardiac implants, patches for the heart, etc. are already being developed in the laboratory.

However, one must understand that from laboratory research to the creation of implants suitable for implantation into the human body, one must go through a very long and difficult path.

First, at a theoretical level, we try to predict how this or that material will behave in the body of a living organism.

Next, the implant is tested on laboratory animals: we look at whether the theoretical prediction comes true in real conditions.

Based on the data obtained, the implant is being finalized.

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What are the difficulties at different stages of development and transplantation of such organs?

— To create such a system that would take root in the body, we need a large team of specialists, which includes chemists, biologists, and doctors.

Difficulties appear already in the very early stages of implant development.

It is very important to find a balance in which an artificial material, a biologically active molecule, can interact with cellular structures. 

There are examples when an insufficient amount of experimental data led to serious consequences.

For example, scientists have found a molecule that can provoke rapid differentiation of bone tissue.

However, if you do not take into account the different parameters of entering the molecule into the body, then even the most serious consequences are possible - up to the transformation of muscle cells into bone cells.

It is important to understand the different aspects of molecular therapy.

For safety reasons, before applying any technology to humans, it is always investigated in vitro and in animal experiments.

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  • © Kirill Braga

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Now 3D printing is increasingly being used to create artificial organs.

Fragments of the skull, ears, noses and other parts of the human body are printed in different countries.

What does the bioprinting process look like and how advanced is it?

Are there any examples of transplantation of such organs in our country and how well do they take root?

— 3D printing is now of great interest to the scientific community.

For example, one of the types of such bioprinting is the printing of organs from special hydrogels.

I note that some of the best printers for such printing are produced in Russia, domestic scientists own the technology for creating such organs.

The technological process looks like this: first, a special biodegradable polymer is selected, which will make up the hydrogel.

Next, layers of living cells are superimposed on this material by 3D printing in a certain order.

Hydrogels can also be coated with some kind of active substance that will facilitate the implantation of an artificial organ into the recipient's body.

Such organs take root well, since the bioprinting technology uses the patient's own cells.

An important success factor is the work of doctors at the postoperative stage.

A lot depends on the doctors who monitor possible complications.

Previously, operations have already been performed in Russia to transplant 3D-printed cartilage into the larynx.

Scientists keep a close eye on these patients, as the collected data allow the creation of special models for improving implants and transplant operations.

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Earlier this year, doctors at the University of Maryland performed the first human heart transplant from a genetically engineered pig.

Later, a person died from a virus characteristic of these animals.

What can you say about the cultivation of genetically modified organs on animals?

“This is another promising area for growing artificial organs.

A lot of gene research in this direction is being conducted today in Russia.

Now they are even discussing the formation of a single base of organizations involved in such developments, state programs are being created to support them.

State programs are also important to support the development of materials for regenerative medicine in order to gather consortiums of chemists, biologists and physicians in order to be able to transfer technologies from the laboratory to the clinic.

We can say that genetic research and the development of special materials for regenerative medicine are the two main areas of work in the field of creating artificial organs.

Each of these areas has its pros and cons.

It is clear that once such an experiment on the implantation of a genetically modified organ has been carried out, it means that sooner or later these studies will be crowned with success.

In fact, the breakthrough has already taken place, and now we are talking about working with possible complications - you need to learn how to prevent them.

In general, the human body is very adaptive - sometimes people get out of bed and start walking even after the most serious illnesses.

This property of the human body always inspires scientists and gives hope for success.

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  • © Molly Riley

— What other unique technologies related to the development of artificial organs are there in the world?

There are many technologies, and they all continue to improve.

For example, scientists want to minimize animal experiments and implement and test on drug chips in the lab.

In this case, they look at which medicine takes root better in the tissue.

At one time, the proposal to study the "lung on a chip" caused a great resonance when an in vitro model system was created, where you can see how several types of cells develop and how they interact with each other.

As for the artificial material and cellular structures, many unique techniques have also been proposed in this direction.

For example, concerning the organization of such a complex system and the control of the cascade of reactions occurring in it.

For the successful development of this area, it is necessary to unite diverse specialists into teams - as I already said, the creation of artificial organs is an interdisciplinary field.

So the interaction between fundamental science and new technologies plays a very important role - so that developments are actively implemented for the treatment of patients, and not left in laboratories.  

- There is a shortage of donor organs in Russia now.

Experts attribute this to the rejection of the idea of ​​posthumous donation in society.

Can artificial organs solve such a problem?

The shortage of donor organs is a huge problem all over the world.

I think that both approaches will continue in the near future - the use of artificial organs will also be introduced, but traditional transplantation will also remain.

But someday it will definitely be possible to fully cover the entire need for organs for implantation.

In particular, post-mortem donation continues to play an important role in saving lives.