Running head: EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX IS BENEFICIAL

Extracellular Matrix Is a Beneficial Technology

Junchen Liu
ENGL 106i
Kyongson Park
April 22nd, 2015
Purdue University

Authors Note
Junchen Liu, Department of Engineering, Purdue University.
Junchen Liu is now at Department of Engineering, Purdue University.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Junchen Liu,
Department of Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47906.
Contact:liu1320@purdue.edu
Abstract
In this thesis, I argue that the extracellular matrix, when applied for the wounded, is
beneficial. The paper shows both the benefits and the side effects. Despite the possible side
effects, the advantages of the extracellular matrix, such as growing body parts and the
relatively low cost, outweigh the side effects. This paper shows the evidence that the side

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effect exists (Coito & Kupiec-Weglinski, 2000) but can be cured (Kirk et al., 1999) through
Yumin Gaos interview (March 1st, 2015 Personal Communication). The paper also presents
that the extracellular matrix is proved to be useful in re-growing the muscle. (BBC, April 30th,
2008) In conclusion, I assure that the extracellular matrix is beneficial because the advantages
outweigh disadvantages.
Keywords: Extracellular matrix, benefits, side effects.

EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX IS BENEFICIAL

Extracellular Matrix Is a Beneficial Technology

People get wounded all the time, and some of them sought to heal the wound. As time
goes by, people have found out that the extracellular matrix showed great potential in healing
the wound and re-growing the body part. The social media has boasted about its great
potential and before I conducted the research that continued for half of the semester, I
doubted if this technology was as safe as it was boasted. My research question thusly raised:
What are the side effects of the extracellular matrix? What is the antidote for those side
effects? But after I conducted the interview with Yumin Gao (March 1st, 2015 personal
communication) and painstakingly read the papers about the side effects, I found out that
extracellular matrix worth developing. My goal is to persuade that extracellular matrix is
beneficial because of the impressive advantages, the curable side effects and the large
contribution it will make in the future.
The prospect of the extracellular matrix is very promising. According to New York Time
(September 17th, 2012), a maimed soldier fought in Afghanistan, Ron Strang lost his left thigh
because of the bomb blast. Doctor harnessed the extracellular matrix in the pig bladder and in
the article this soldier said he could run like a normal soldier do and he would has never
known the soldier has been hurt that much if he didnt saw him before. This only took him
two years to regrow his leg and he became normal again. He implied in that article that
without extracellular matrix, the muscles wouldnt regrow this fast. In another case BBC
reported (April 30th, 2008), Lee Spievak cut of his finger by a plane model, and his brother
who works in the regenerative field sent him some extracellular matrix powder. After four
weeks he grew his finger back and he said he felt it was completely natural. BBC also
reported that the doctors show confidence in using extracellular matrix to grow back the burnt
skin. Also according to NBC news (March 22nd, 2008), Steven Wolf, the specialist, in
extracellular matrix also thought extracellular matrix has the potential to regrow the tissue for

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the vital organs. Extracellular matrix is a great advance in the medical area. Take myself as an
example, I wounded terrible on my leg when I was 10, it took me for a year to recover using
bandage and iodine alcohol. Compared with me, Mr. Spievak spent only four weeks to
regrow his finger. So, I argue that the extracellular matrix is very efficient in regenerate
peoples muscles in the wounded area.
The side effects of the extracellular matrix are not all vital. In the interview, Yumin
Gao(March 1st, 2015 personal communication), a biological engineering student at Purdue
University who has been researching with extracellular matrix consistently this semester
mentioned three main side effects: The first is the malnutrition problem, the second is the
muscle loss which is partially correlated to the malnutrition problem and lastly, the most
deadly, the transplantation rejection. Malnutrition problem, according to Yumin Gao can be
cured by giving them enough major and supplement supply such as glucose, protein, fat,
vitamins and minerals. The second problem which is caused by malnutrition and the fast
metabolism can be reverted by enough nutrition supply and reasonable amount of physical
training, such as running and lifting, Yumin said. However, the third problem is more
complex, which is the transplantation rejection. Transplantation rejection is caused by the
immune system which react at the organs from the foreign sources such as other humans. By
using the extracellular matrix from the pigs, the immune system will likely to have
transplantation rejection which will cause dysfunction of the organs. In general, there are two
kinds of transplantation rejection, Libby and Pober (2001) stated. The first one is acute
rejection which can occur 2 weeks after the transplantation of the organs. Another is chronicle
rejection which occurred after the suppression of the rejection failed. The research conducted
by Coito and Kupiec-Weglinski (2000) has proved that the extracellular matrix has acted as
an active participant in the acute rejection that will cause the transplanted organs failed to
function. However, Kirk et al. (1999) have found out a suppressor called CD154 which will

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suppress a protein that partially control the immune system called CD40. This protein have
been experimented on the monkeys and the research team found out that CD154 can suppress
the rejection for as long as 10 months with one injection. Also they found out that the
injection of CD154 will cause no side effect it will be eliminated by the body itself.
However, the chronicle rejection seemed to be incurable currently even though the existence
of the CD154, according to Kirk et al.(1999), will lower the chance for the patient to
transform the acute rejection to the chronicle rejection. Eventually, the extracellular matrix
have some risks but the risks are highly controllable and the most of the side effects can be
cured easily with current technology.
The last but not least, extracellular matrix outlasts other regenerative technology because
of its lower cost and a better contribution it will make. Yumin Gao (March 1st, 2015 personal
communication) told me there are an alternative technology called biological 3D-printing that
is in developing. However, he told me that this technology is very expensive and thusly
develop slowly. On the other hand, extracellular matrix can be retrieved from the pigs
bladders, which is useless for daily life so it could be massively collected for research use. If
the research material could be obtained with such a low cost, it would be cheap for the
technology to use for patient and to develop for the research. Also, according to CBS news
(2008), the researchers are trying to regrow the organs outside of the body by using
extracellular matrix to make the same organ as the patients had before. In the future this
technology will save more people without using any donations of others organs.
This paper shows two main advantages of the extracellular matrix, which are the
effectiveness of the extracellular matrix and the low cost of this technology. The
disadvantage, the side effects such as the malnutrition problem and the muscle loss problem
is also explained. Even though the side effects of the extracellular matrix seems to be a main
drawback of the extracellular matrix, the antidote for the side effect is also proved to be

EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX IS BENEFICIAL

effective and safe. From this paper, I can tell that the advantages of extracellular matrix
outweighs the disadvantages of it. Thusly, the extracellular matrix is a beneficial technology
for human to use.

EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX IS BENEFICIAL

References

Andrews, W. (2008, February 7). A "Holy Grail" Of Healing. CBSNews. Retrieved March 27,
2015, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-holy-grail-of-healing/
Andrews, W. (2008, March 22). Medicine's Cutting Edge: Re-Growing Organs. CBSNews.
Retrieved April 9, 2015, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/medicines-cutting-edge-regrowing-organs/
Coito, A. J., & Kupiec-Weglinski, J. W. (2000). Extracellular Matrix Proteins in Oragan
Transplantation. Transplantation, 69(12), 2465-2473.
For Maimed Veterans, Animal Tissue Offers Hope of Repair. (2012, September 17). New
York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2015, from
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/17/for-maimed-veterans-animal-tissue-offershope-of-repair/
Kirk, A. D., Burkly, L. C., Batty, D. S., Baumgartner, R. E., Berning, J. D., Buchanan, K., ...
& Harlan, D. M. (1999). Treatment with humanized monoclonal antibody against CD154
prevents acute renal allograft rejection in nonhuman primates. Nature medicine, 5(6),
686-693.
Libby, P., & Pober, J. S. (2001). Chronic rejection. Immunity, 14(4), 387-397.
Price, M. (2008, April 30). The man who grew back his finger tip. BBC News Retrieved April
9, 2015, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7354458.stm
Yumin, G. (2015, March 1st). Personal Interview.