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Over the past century, scientific advancements have been nothing short of extraordinary, particularly in the realms of medicine and biological engineering. From groundbreaking vaccines to transformative surgical techniques, science has dramatically enhanced our way of life.
Innovation is driven by the need to address longstanding challenges with fresh perspectives. Each medical breakthrough originates from a lab brimming with intriguing concepts. While some experiments spark ethical debates, most represent ingenious solutions to persistent issues.
What could be more inventive than creating something entirely from scratch in a lab? Below are 10 unexpected and captivating items that have been grown in laboratories.
10. Pig Bones
In 2016, U.S. researchers achieved a breakthrough by implanting lab-grown bones into 14 adult Yucatan mini pigs. Remarkably, none of the pigs experienced organ rejection post-surgery. Instead, the blood vessels within the engineered bones integrated flawlessly into the pigs' existing circulatory systems.
How did this groundbreaking achievement come to life?
The process began with scientists scanning and mapping the pigs’ jawbones. Using cow bones, they crafted cell-free scaffolds that matched the structure. These scaffolds were then infused with the pigs’ stem cells and immersed in a nutrient-dense solution, ultimately producing fully functional, living bone.
9. Rat Limb
In 2015, a team at Massachusetts General Hospital achieved a global milestone by successfully growing an entire rat forelimb in their laboratory. This groundbreaking project marked a world-first in the field of organ engineering.
The project was spearheaded by Dr. Harold Ott, who also directs the Ott Laboratory for Organ Engineering and Regeneration. Their experiment yielded functional muscle tissue in just 16 days.
Here’s the step-by-step process they followed:
Dr. Ott and his team began by taking a live rat limb and stripping it of all its cells through a process known as decellularization. This left behind a protein scaffold, which served as the foundation for the new limb.
Next, they infused the scaffold with live cells, which developed into muscle tissue and blood vessels within weeks. To assess the limb’s functionality, the team administered small electrical pulses to the muscle tissue.
The outcome? The muscles in the engineered limb contracted just like those in naturally grown limbs.
8. Hamburgers
Dubbed “schmeat,” the world’s first lab-grown burger was unveiled in London in 2013. Developed in the Netherlands by Dr. Mark Post, a professor of vascular physiology, the project aimed to create meat without the ethical concerns of animal suffering or the environmental impact of traditional livestock farming. The endeavor took five years and $325,000 to bring to fruition.
Following his breakthrough, Post established Mosa Meats. Other firms quickly joined the race to develop their own lab-grown meat. San Francisco-based start-up Memphis Meats produced lab-grown meatballs in 2016 and achieved another milestone by creating the world’s first lab-grown chicken strips.
However, these products are not expected to hit the market until 2021. Meanwhile, Hampton Creek, a California-based company, announced plans to make lab-grown meat available in stores by 2018.
7. Human-Pig Embryo
Researchers at the Salk Institute in Spain and La Jolla, California, achieved a significant breakthrough by growing human cells within a pig embryo. The aim of this research is to eventually cultivate fully functional human organs inside animals for transplantation purposes. The team has already succeeded in growing rat organs inside mouse embryos, though the project has sparked ethical debates.
In 2015, the US government halted the use of taxpayer funds for interspecies chimera research. In genetics, a chimera refers to a natural occurrence where an organism possesses two or more distinct sets of DNA.
However, an interspecies chimera involves DNA from multiple species, sparking concerns about whether animals like pigs, when implanted with human cells, could develop human-like brain functions.
Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte and his team have emphasized their goal to “direct human cells to form specific tissues while ensuring they do not contribute to brain, sperm, or egg development.”
6. Mouse Sperm
In 2016, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Zoology successfully generated functional mouse sperm from stem cells. They achieved this by isolating stem cells from mice and combining them with testicular cells from newborn mice.
Qi Zhou and Xiao-Yang Zhao, the lead scientists, treated the stem cells with various chemicals essential for sperm development, including testosterone, a follicle-stimulating hormone, and a growth-promoting hormone from the pituitary gland.
Within approximately two weeks, the team produced fully operational sperm cells. These were then used to fertilize eggs, and the resulting embryos were implanted into female mice.
The experiment resulted in the birth of nine healthy mouse pups, some of which later reproduced naturally. While the success rate of 3 percent lags behind the 9 percent achieved with natural sperm in artificial insemination, this breakthrough offers significant potential for advancing fertility treatments.
5. Blood Stem Cells
Two independent research teams pioneered innovative methods for generating blood stem cells. One team, led by George Daley at Boston Children’s Hospital, began with human skin cells and transformed them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells—artificially created, versatile stem cells.
Daley’s team introduced transcription factors, genes that regulate other genes, into the iPS cells. These modified cells were then implanted into mice for further development, effectively turning the mice into interspecies chimeras.
After 12 weeks, the team produced an early version of blood stem cells. However, the second team achieved even more impressive results.
At Weill Cornell Medical College, Shahin Rafii and his team bypassed the iPS cell stage entirely. They extracted cells from adult mice blood vessels, introduced four transcription factors, and cultured the cells in petri dishes designed to mimic the conditions of human blood vessels.
These cells successfully transformed into functional blood stem cells. Remarkably, the stem cells generated in this experiment were potent enough to fully restore the health of mice suffering from low blood cell counts caused by radiation treatments.
4. Apple Ears
In 2016, Andrew Pelling, a Canadian biophysicist, and his team at the University of Ottawa achieved a breakthrough by growing human tissue using apples. They employed a decellularization process to strip away the existing cells from the apple, leaving behind its cellulose framework—the same material responsible for the apple’s signature crunch.
Pelling’s team shaped the cellulose scaffold into an ear-like structure and infused it with human cells. These cells thrived and formed an auricle, the visible outer portion of the ear.
The experiment aimed to develop more affordable implants. Pelling highlighted that his lab-grown material is less problematic compared to traditional biological materials, which are often sourced from animals or cadavers.
This innovative method isn’t exclusive to apples. Pelling has also explored replicating the process using flower petals, asparagus, and various other vegetables.
3. Brain Balls
Sergiu Pasca from Stanford University has successfully maintained a mini-brain, known as a cerebral organoid, for two years. Measuring just 4 millimeters (0.16 inches) in diameter, this tiny cluster of human brain tissue was cultivated from stem cells. By using specific hormones, researchers can encourage the tissue to form structures resembling parts of the brain.
What sets these miniature brains apart from real ones?
The lab-grown versions lack blood vessels, white blood cells, and typical neurodevelopmental progression. Instead, their growth halts at a stage equivalent to the first trimester of human development, at least for cerebral organoid neurons.
However, nonneural cells known as astrocytes achieve full maturity in these organoids. Astrocytes are support cells that regulate neural connections, interact with blood vessels, and play a vital role in detecting brain injuries.
Studying these brain organoids could provide insights into the causes of Lou Gehrig’s disease and various neurodevelopmental disorders.
2. Vaginas
Dr. Anthony Atala and his team successfully engineered human vaginas in their laboratory. These lab-grown organs were later transplanted into four teenagers in Mexico who were born with a disorder that left them without vaginas.
To construct the organs, Atala’s team extracted small tissue samples from each patient. They then designed personalized biodegradable scaffolds and infused them with cells cultivated from the original tissue samples.
The initial surgery took place in 2005. Follow-up evaluations showed no long-term complications, and all four women reported normal sexual function. However, only two of the women have uteruses, leaving it uncertain whether the other two can bear children.
1. Rabbit Penis
In 2008, Dr. Anthony Atala from the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine oversaw a unique experiment involving mating rabbits. These rabbits were special—the males had been implanted with lab-grown penises, a project Atala had been developing since 1992.
Out of the 12 rabbits with bioengineered penises, all attempted to mate. Eight successfully ejaculated, and four went on to father offspring.
By 2014, Atala and his team had engineered six human penises, aiming for FDA approval for human transplants. The organs underwent extensive testing, including being stretched and compressed by machines to ensure durability under normal conditions.
The team also tested the organs by simulating erections using machines to pump fluid through them. As of 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration had not approved these lab-grown organs for widespread human use.
