Biotech Innovators

 

 

The field of regenerative medicine has been researching innovational methods of both repairing and replacing damaged human organs, without the need of a matching human donor. The possibilities could eliminate the need of putting patients on an organ waiting list and save hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Three of the most promising innovators in this field are UPMC, Alexion, and Bioprinting, all of which have the potential to give immediate care to those who need it.

Stem cells are considered so valuable in medical research for their unique ability to develop a variety of different cells in the body. When a stem cell is used in a certain area of the body, it is able to replenish the amount of that cell type by continuously replicating itself, unlike most specialized cells. The UPMC is a medical research company that is worth about $8 billion and has made great strides in the research of cell therapy. Cell therapy uses adult stem cells in an area of the body that is injured, such as an organ, and then divides and renews the cells so that it slowly heals itself.

A company known as Alexion Pharmaceuticals is a major innovator in the area of Regenerative Medicine known as xenotransplantation, which would be cross-species organ transplants. In 1998 Alexion used pig nerve cells to repair the spinal cords of a rat and a monkey. Xenotransplantation has the potential to allow animal organs to be transplanted with human recipients.

Bioprinting is the newest innovation in Regenerative Medicine and is being researched at several Universities across the country including the University of Pittsburg and Carnegie Mellon University. A custom made inkjet printer is used to actually print layers upon layers of living cells to form 3D structures such as tissues or organ grafts used to create synthetic organs. The "bioink" used by the printer is a clump of the patients cells and results in the body accepting the new addition as its own.

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