The journal
The Lancet, which published the peer-reviewed case report[1] on the latest news commented on in the submission here, makes available the full text of a commentary article from 2011[2] about the work of the same doctor, who has worked on several kinds of replacement human organs.
My alma mater university is one of several centers around the world of research on growing human tissues on spatial matrices of various kinds to grow replacement organ parts (e.g., heart valves) or organs (e.g., tracheae).[3] I had the pleasure of touring one of the labs here with one of my children, and the researchers in the lab said the research involves experimenting with different materials to form the matrix on which the human cells grow, and of course learning what three-dimensional form of the matrix will produce the best replacement part, with plenty of other issues to research besides. This path of research is one of the reasons why I think it is quite plausible that incremental improvements in life expectancy at middle age and old age, which have been steady throughout my lifetime,[4] will continue as each reader of Hacker News reaches middle age and old age.
[1] Abstract of "Tissue-engineered autologous vaginal organs in patients: a pilot cohort study"
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-67...
[2] http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-67...
[3] http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2010/UR_CONTENT_17680...
[4] http://www.prb.org/Journalists/Webcasts/2010/humanlongevity....
http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v307/n3/box...
My alma mater university is one of several centers around the world of research on growing human tissues on spatial matrices of various kinds to grow replacement organ parts (e.g., heart valves) or organs (e.g., tracheae).[3] I had the pleasure of touring one of the labs here with one of my children, and the researchers in the lab said the research involves experimenting with different materials to form the matrix on which the human cells grow, and of course learning what three-dimensional form of the matrix will produce the best replacement part, with plenty of other issues to research besides. This path of research is one of the reasons why I think it is quite plausible that incremental improvements in life expectancy at middle age and old age, which have been steady throughout my lifetime,[4] will continue as each reader of Hacker News reaches middle age and old age.
[1] Abstract of "Tissue-engineered autologous vaginal organs in patients: a pilot cohort study"
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-67...
[2] http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-67...
[3] http://www1.umn.edu/news/news-releases/2010/UR_CONTENT_17680...
[4] http://www.prb.org/Journalists/Webcasts/2010/humanlongevity....
http://www.nature.com/scientificamerican/journal/v307/n3/box...