Heart Valve Grown From Stem Cells

(NEWSER) - The British government has reversed its stance on the creation of human-animal hybrid embryos and will propose allowing scientists to use them as sources of stem cells. Scientists developing treatments for incurable diseases would be allowed to grow the hybrid embryos for no longer than two weeks, and implanting them into a human womb would not be permitted. More»

Process has already been used to make mice grow rat organs

(NEWSER) - Japanese researchers have hit on a stem cell breakthrough that they say could essentially solve the organ shortages problem—but fair warning, it’s weird. By injecting stem cells from rats into the embryos of mice that had been genetically modified to be unable to grow their own organs, the researchers have been able to create mice with rat organs. And they believe the same process could be used to create pigs with human parts, the Telegraph reports. More»

Small doses have medical benefits, researchers have found

(NEWSER) - Low-level doses of the deadly chemical carbon monoxide may actually have medical benefits, pioneering new research suggests. The research is preliminary, and no scientist denies the lethal results of CO poisoning. But studies in animals have found small, controlled doses of the gas can have benefits for organ transplantation and fighting infections. More»

Advance could save heart disease patients, regrow other organs

(NEWSER) - Scientists rebuilt rat and pig hearts using stem cells taken from the recipients themselves, the Telegraph reports—a medical breakthrough that could help the 22 million people who suffer from heart failure worldwide. The technique, called whole organ decellularization, produced the world’s first functioning “bioartificial” heart within eight days after researchers injected it with fresh stem cells. More»

Cells injected in mouse tails 'recolonize' lungs in breakthrough research

(NEWSER) - Scientists have successfully implanted stem cells into the lungs of mice in breakthrough research that could one day be used to develop new treatments for cancer patients or those suffering from major respiratory ailments. It's the first time stem cell research has focused on lungs because of the complex nature of the tissue, the BBC reports. More»