Artificial Organs Outline 1 .

Definition In the world of medicine, one of the greatest advancements has been the ability to create artificial organs that are able to restore the proper function of a patient's body. They can be used both for functions that are essential to life and also for purposes that are not related to survival but do improve a person's quality of life. The organs that can be replaced artificially are quite numerous, including the ears, ovaries, and even the heart and brain. Perhaps the most common manifestation of an artificial organ is found with mechanical aids that are used to improve a person's ability to hear and distinguish sounds. Called cochlear implants, the organs have been successful with nearly 200,000 people across the globe. In addition to improving the sense of hearing in those patients with impaired ears, the artificial organs are also able to provide a limited hearing ability to people who are deaf. As this device becomes less expensive and more available, it is thought that the worldwide incidence of deafness will decrease dramatically. One case of a survival situation where an artificial organ will make the difference between life and death is in a heart transplant. If a patient is awaiting a new heart, an artificial heart can be temporarily used to keep the person alive until the new heart becomes available. In recent times, models have been created that can stand alone and provide a permanent replacement for a heart that has functional impairment. This new type of artificial heart is currently in the process of being evaluated and it is thought that it will be ready for widespread live use beginning in the year 2013. The availability of artificial organs can do much to improve a person's life, from providing the essential bodily functions for survival to improving sensory capabilities, such as sight and hearing. 2 . Reasons Reasons to construct and install an artificial organ, an extremely expensive process initially, which may entail many years of ongoing maintenance services not needed by a natural organ, might include:

Life support to prevent imminent death while awaiting a transplant (e.g. artificial heart) Dramatic improvement of the patient's ability for self care (e.g. artificial limb) Improvement of the patient's ability to interact socially (e.g. cochlear implant) Cosmetic restoration after cancer surgery or accident

Eleni V. Antoniadou, Head of the Biosciences Department at Transplants Without Donors LLC, mentioned in her talk at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering Society the following: "From a humanistic standpoint, the major aim of creating artificial organs is to give an end to the human organ trafficking, a transnational organized crime, that is

rising in third world countries and has become a lucrative facet of economic development by annihilating the need for real organs." The use of any artificial organ by humans is almost always preceded by extensive experiments with animals. Initial testing in humans is frequently limited to those either already facing death, or who have exhausted every other treatment possibility. (Rarely testing may be done on healthy volunteers who are scheduled for execution pertaining to violent crimes.) Although not typically thought of as organs, one might also consider replacement bone, and joints thereof, such as hip replacements, in this context. 3 . The organs which can be replaced artificial - Heart - Liver - Eyes - Kidney - Lungs - Skin - Bladder - Overies - Trachea - Artificial limbs - Ear - Cardia and pylorus valves - Corpora Cavernosa 4. Pros and Contras Pros : The benefits associated with artificial organs have proved that this technology is a new gift of life to ailing patients. Following are some of the pros of using artificial organs. -Artificial organs can replace diseased or damaged organs, thereby, providing the ailing patient with an opportunity to lead a healthy and normal life. -Artificial organs can meet the huge demand of healthy donor organs. There is a huge list of patients who are in urgent need of healthy organs but are unable to find a suitable willing donor. -A major stumbling block in the form of organ rejection can be solved due to artificial organs. As artificial organs are created by taking the stem cells of the same person and of the same organ, the possibility of rejection has been reduced significantly. -With the help of regenerative medicine or artificial organ therapy, burn victims can even have a new skin. -The time taken to create or grow an artificial organ is lesser than waiting period for finding a suitable donor whose organ matches with the recipient's body perfectly.

Contras : Where the advantages seem credible and truly revolutionary, there are a few negative points or disadvantages that cannot be ignored. -A major concern is the possible presence of the disease in the base tissue which is used to create the organ. Sometimes, even a foreign body tissue is used to regenerate or reconstruct the organ. In such cases, there is a possibility that the tissue is already infected by other diseases. -The entire cost of growing and transplanting an artificial organ is prohibitive, and thus, limit the scope of its application to the general public. -There are high chances of organ failure, and the body may even take some time to adapt to the new organ. How the body reacts to the new organ may vary from person to person. If there is a problem with the functioning of the organ, you might need to go for another transplant. -There are some ethical issues related to artificial organs. There is a possibility that people might misuse the option of an artificial organ. In case of smoking, people may not take the consequences seriously, and go for artificial organ therapy instead of avoiding nicotine. It may also happen that people who can afford this treatment may just opt for it to improve their organ condition and not to save their life. 5 . Artificial Kidney

6 .Bio-artificial and 3D-printed organs Organs such as kidneys, livers and lungs have always been in high demand by patients with severe illnesses. In 2008, 56 000 people were waiting for a suitable organ within the European Union. The demand exceeds the number of available organs in Member States and is increasing faster than organ donation rates. Bioartificial and 3D-printed organs are critical for overcoming this challenge. Advances in bio-artificial organs Bio-artificial organs are the products of tissue engineering. Scientists explain that tissue engineering uses the concepts and tools of biotechnology, molecular and cell biology, material science and engineering to understand the structurefunction relationships in mammalian tissues and to develop biological substitutes for the repair or replacement of tissue or organ functions (Bioartificial Organs as Outcomes of Tissue Engineering). The generation of bio-artificial organs takes part in 3 steps: Obtaining the patients autologous cells with the help of biopsy procedure, isolating the cells from the tissue biopsy and increasing their number in the cell culture (outside the human). Transferring the cells onto a carrier structure (matrix) which is usually generated from animal tissue or from synthetic components. In the lab cells sprout on the matrix, dissolve it and replace it by private proteins. After reaching a level of maturation in the laboratory, the bio-artificial tissue is transplanted as replacement tissue into the patient. Dr Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina (US) breaks tissue engineering into four levels of complexity: Flat structures that are made up of just one type of cells are the simplest to engineer. Skin is an example. Tubes like blood vessels and urethras which have two types of cells and act as a conduit. Hollow non-tubular organs like the bladder and the stomach. These have more complex structures and functions. Solid organs like the kidney, hearth and liver are the most complex to engineer because they have many different cell types and also require blood supply. German researchers are already mass producing swatches of real human skin. As of 2009, the price per unit was 34 Euros. The skin produced by FraunhoferGesellschaft is exactly like the skin on human bodies made up of different cell types whereas skin manufactured previously used to be one thin layer made up of only one type of cell. Between March 2004 and July 2007, the research team at Wake Forest University led by Dr Atala built artificial urethras for five boys using the patients' own cells. Tests measuring urine flow and tube diameter confirmed that the engineered tissue remained functional throughout the six-year follow-up period.

Scientists say that bio-artificial urethras can be used successfully in patients and could be an alternative to the current treatment, which has a high failure rate. Anthony Atala also reported the successful transplantation of laboratory-grown urinary bladders into beagles in 1999. Less than 10 years later the same procedure was repeated in humans suffering from end-stage bladder disease functional bioartificial bladders were successfully implanted into patients. Growing solid organs in the lab is however is much more complex. Organs like kidneys, lungs or hearts requires putting a number of different cell types into the right positions and simultaneously growing complete networks of blood vessels to keep them alive. Although the task is indeed challenging, scientists continue to make advances Doris Taylor created a beating rat hearth at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. At the University of Michigan David Humes created a cellphone-size artificial kidney that has passed tests on sheep. Some scientists believe that implanting bio-artificial solid organs into humans is achievable, other remain more sceptical. Advances in 3D-printed organs The bioprinting trend is being driven by three factors - more sophisticated printers, refined CAD software and advances in regenerative medicine. Scientists are becoming increasingly interested in the field from 2008 to 2011, the number of scientific papers referencing bioprinting almost tripled. Bio 3D printers function in the same way as traditional 3D printers tissue is printed layer by layer. Once a layer of cells is laid down by the printer, a layer of hydrogel that operates as a scaffold material follows and the process repeats. When the cells fuse, the hydrogel is removed to create material made entirely of human cells. The material is then moved to a bioreactor where the tissue continues to grow into its final form. 3D printing has already been used to create personalised prosthetics, human bones and human tissue. For example, LayerWise, a Belgian metal parts manufacturer successfully printed a jaw bone in 2012. The artificial jaw was implanted into a 83-year old patient. San Diego-based company Organovo successfully prints small pieces of blood vessel or liver tissue. Although the minilivers are half a millimetre deep and 4 millimetres across, they can perform most functions of the real organ. The ultimate goal of Organovo is to create humansized structures suitable for transplantation. Currently, the biggest challenge in 3D bioprinting is producing larger branched networks of blood vessels to nourish complex organs. Stuart William, executive and scientific director of the Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (US), suggests that scientists will be able to print fully functional hearts from a patients own cells within 10 years. First steps have already been made in the first half of 2013 researchers printed and implanted a portion of a heart and blood vessels in mice.

Given the progress to date, further advances in bioprinting might even enable bionic organs body parts that restore and extend human ability. Scientists at Princeton University have conducted experiments aiming to integrate electronics into bioprinting. Earlier in 2013 they created an ear that receives a wide range of frequencies using a coiled antenna printed with silver nanoparticles. The artificial ear can pick up frequencies beyond the range of normal human hearing. Bio-artificial and 3D-printed organs can not only alleviate the shortage of donor organs. Artificially created organs can also be used to test the impact of new drugs, thus eliminating the need to test new drugs on humans. 3D models of organs could also be used for educational and research purposes.