artificial organs are being developed

artificial organs are being developed


How advanced are other artificial parts?


A good demonstration of the power of protheses is on display in the lower limbs of Oscar Pistorius, the South African sprinter who has just run 400 metres fast enough to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. "Blade Runner", as Pistorius is known, has no legs from mid-calf down, and runs on carbon-fibre blades. His prosthetic legs were ruled to be acceptable for general competition by the IAAF, which said the legs did not give him an unfair advantage.


In medicine, prosthetic hearts have led the way for decades, although other artificial organs are being developed. A medical device firm called MC3 is currently testing a total artificial lung for submission to the Food and Drug Administration in the US. The device is designed to replace carbon dioxide in the blood with oxygen, using the heart's own pumping power.


Artificial livers are in the pipeline, too, although the technical challenges behind creating a whole, mechanical organ mean that most progress has come through growing liver tissue in the lab. Any artificial lung or liver currently in development is designed to be a "bridge to transplant".


click to see the complete article on artificial organs by Hal Hodson