Scientists Can Now Grow Human Noses, Parts of Hearts in Jars

Why get a kidney on the black market, when you can just make one in a jar?

Scientists in Europe have made groundbreaking strides in the manufacture of body parts, bioengineering noses and parts of human hearts. Their research ushers in a new era of building body parts for transplant into human bodies, instead of just waiting for a suitable donor. Patients wouldn't even be subject to the dangerous process of suppressing the bodies' rejection of a donor organ, because the transplants would be built with the patients' own cells.

The Wall Street Journal outlines the scientific progress,


Until the late 1980s, few scientists believed it would be possible to make human organs because it was a struggle to grow human cells in the laboratory. The task became easier once scientists figured out the chemicals-known as growth factors-that the body itself uses to promote cellular growth.

Scientists are still experimenting with the process of building a organ from scratch. The technology behind the nose for example, has mostly been cracked. Scientists have been able to grow the cartilage in jars. There is one problem, however:

The nose was missing a crucial piece: skin.



Whew, glad that the patient objected to having that nose transplanted under their forehead.