Strange as it may sound, scientists have managed to create fully functioning kidneys from cells taken from a cow’s ear. Researchers at Advanced Cell Technology in Massachusetts created the organs by removing a single skin cell from a cow’s ear and fusing it with a cow egg stripped of its genetic material. The fused cell was then stimulated to divide into a stem cell rich embryo using electricity, and the stem cells were subjected to a variety of secret treatments in order to turn them into fully functioning mature kidney cells. The kidney cells were then nurtured on a biodegradable kidney-shaped scaffold and eventually transplanted back into the cow from which the skin cell had been taken. Researchers believe that this type of cloning technology will help to solve the problems of organ shortage and organ rejection – as the new organs are created from cells taken from the patient there is no risk of rejection.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.bbc.co.uk on the 29th January 2002
