Future Life: Health
Human organ factory
There are three key elements in growing new human tissue.
One is finding the initial cells, while the second is building a 'scaffold' on which to model the tissue.
The third is providing a good, safe environment in which the new tissue can
grow.
This is called a 'bioreactor' - and is in effect a factory for human parts.
Chemical Engineers are acknowledged experts in both building these
'scaffolds' around which new human organs can grow and in developing safe
areas in which this can happen.
For example, engineers are skilled in working with the types of materials
that can be used in making the structures, ranging from ceramics and metal
to synthetic materials.