Artifical Trachea

Harvard Apparatus Regeneration Technology, Inc. (Holliston, MA) is a spin off from Harvard Bioscience specifically to grow transplantable synthetic organs. At present, the company manufacturers trachea scaffolds and seeds them with a patient’s hematopoietic stem cells.  After two days incubation in a bioreactor, the synthetic trachea is ready for transplantation; afterwards cell growth continues toward full development in the body.  Several implants have been done, and the company foresees its approach leading to other synthetic organs such as esophagus, heart valve and kidney.   MORE

Image Credit:  Harvard Apparatus Regeneration Technology and Technology Review