Researchers have grown replacement penis tissue for rabbits from the animals' own cells. The erectile tissue was then implanted and the rabbits apparently went on to screw like rabbits, successfully reproducing. According to the scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, this was the "most complete replacement of functional penile erectile tissue reported to date." Someday, the technique could help human patients who require penile reconstruction due to abnormalities, cancer, or injury. It might even be used to treat extreme cases of erectile dysfunction. The research was led by tissue engineering pioneer Dr. Anthony Atala, who I posted about in 2006 for his success engineering an artificial bladder that has since helped more than two dozen patients. From the Medical Center:
The scientists first harvested smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, the same type of cells that line blood vessels, from the animals’ erectile tissue. These cells were multiplied in the laboratory. Using a two-step process, the cells were injected into a three-dimensional scaffold that provided support while the cells developed. As early as one month after implanting the scaffold in the animal’s penis, organized tissue with vessel structures began to form."Laboratory-Grown Replacement of Penile Erectile Tissue"The cells were injected into scaffolds on two separate days, enabling them to hold almost six times as many smooth muscle cells as in the previous studies – which the scientists believe was a key to success. During an erection, it is the relaxation of smooth muscle tissue that allows an influx of blood into the penis. The relaxation is triggered by the release of nitric oxide from endothelial cells...
Functional testing of the implanted tissue showed that vessel pressure within the erectile tissue was normal, that blood flowed smoothly through it, that the response to nitric oxide-induced relaxation was normal as early as one month after implantation, and that veins drained normally after erection.
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Sounds like a bad pickup line.
Growing penis tissue in a lab sounds hard. Bah dum pish!
I wonder if this technology could be extended (har!) to transgendered men or if it requires a subject that had a penis to begin with.
Get ready for the organic penis versus Monsanto genetically engineered penis camps warring it out!
"No frankendicks"! "I only buy my penises at Whole Foods!" And so on...
-G.
At least the War on Erectile Dysfunction is going well.
By all means, grow me some extra penile tissue. And, based on what I've observed of women, could you tack a clitoris on somewhere too?
If they can make a penis, they might also reverse "female circumcision."
Vast new frontiers of spam, emerging before our very eyes! And a bold exploits in elective medical tourism: "Growth opportunities await you! Call 888-PRIAPIC today!"
Medical Science is becoming more and more of a growing concern.
It is time to take a long hard look some of the studies that taking place and ask if we are playing god.
I imagine these scientists are all stroking each others egos for cuming up with these so called breakthroughs but I for one am disgusted.
If only people wood stand up for what is right, claiming this sort of science is for the betterment of man is a limp argument.
Thank you, Smilin' Bob!
I certainly wouldn't want them to cock up the procedure.
I don't know, I find this whole thing hard to swallow. I think they're just trying to get a rise out of us.
No need to be a dick about it.
Another example of hard science longing for a daily household application.
Good heavens, Miss Sakamoto, you're beautiful!
In a lab? That's nothing. I can grow my penis tissue in my pants.
Hey - maybe I could get my foreskin back. All this stretching is taking too long..
"Sadly the greatest minds and resources were focused on conquering hair loss and prolonging erections."
EEEEEEEEEEK!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLRS5mCj8Yg
You forgot a period in the headline. It should read:
Growing penis. Tissue in the lab
Unfortunately, scientists involved are reporting that so far the artificial tissue has only had a rather turgid response.
Oh thank god.
Since I'm to tired to make a joke, I think this is kind of interesting. And no not from the Bigger Johnson camp, but its a different form of tissue. And a very specific one at that. Perhaps by working the kinks out of things like this you could see this technology applied to areas like growing new heart valves, or nerve tissue.
But it's good to know that the hospital I see from my bedroom window is coming up with new ways to keep things going hot and heavy in here.
I know it's cliche to say that all the human enhancement stuff starts as therapeutic medicine, but this seems like it's got unprecedented potential to transition from therapy to elective surgery.
If this works, it would be great for people with penile cancer or who were in terrible accidents (like that dude from that downer "The Sun Also Rises"- or that interesting tome "As Nature Made Him"), and hopefully this technology could be extended to other parts of the body, like fingers or something.
As a girl, the only comment I have is: unless its micro, bigger isn't always better as long as it works. :)
Graft it to a mouse to farm a new penis and you've got a South Park episode:
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/165720
just like that, except funny and relevant.
I agree, any real application of this tech to humans is very limited. Sure it would be nice to restore the manhood to maimed men (say that five times fast) but besides them it would be purely a luxury (no, I'm not getting into an argument about transgendered people).
If this was a proof of concept application of science, the cloning and growing of body parts, surely there are other body parts or other animals (humans maybe?) that could have been used in this experiment (yes, I tried in vain to come up with a footless rabbit joke, but it didn't work out).
"Someday, the technique could help human patients who require penile reconstruction due to abnormalities, cancer, or injury." That depends on how you define "help", I guess. If I lost my penis to disease or injury, I can't imagine thinking that having a new rabbit penis would really "help".
It looks like maybe it might have an application for FTM folks, Brainspore. From my reading of the procedure it looks like there was some kind of 'scaffold' which the cells grew on, which was then implanted back into the animals' penis.
FTMs who have already undergone gender reassignment surgery, and those who haven't, certainly have genitals; so there would at least be tissue there to implant a scaffold into.
I am not sure if this would mean that you could eventually make a scaffold that could sort of implant itself somehow, which would be kind of awesome for those FTMs who want to undergo GRS.