Regenerative Medicine on 60 Minutes

[CMC]

Check out this link to a segment on 60 minutes from this past Sunday called "Growing Body Parts": http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/12/11/60minutes/main5968057.shtml

They didn't really mention nerve tissue, but they did talk about growing bladders. Very interesting.

[kali]

amazing stuff

[Lifeisgood]

I think that they did a trial of this at Children's Hospital in Boston. I find it very fascinating. I think the future holds a lot of really cool things in the future, from a medical standpoint.

The article mentioned that the girl who got a new bladder had SB. I would be SO interested in knowing 1) what the indication was to do it and 2) what were her results? I am guessing they did that instead of a bladder augmentation? Has her function improved? In what ways.

Regardless, the possibilities are wicked cool :)

[bcain]

I was very excited after I watched it. I wish there was more info. I remember that it was followed up, because she had had the procedure approx.( I think) it was 10 yrs earlier. There was another person featured who had it done within the last 4-5 yrs if I am recalling the show correctly. I remember thinking to myself that it should be well on its' way to being perfected if Sarah would ever need it. I remember the girl saying it made a huge difference in her social life, and she was attending college.

[misty]

I'm not sure I understand completely how giving a person with SB a new bladder would change anything. If the new bladder still isn't communicating with the nervous system, then how is it better? Maybe I just missed something.

[Lifeisgood]

Hypothetically, it has less damage than our scarred neurogenic bladders so I think that in itself would be a start. If a person's bladder is really small or cannot stretch to hold urine, this might help too. I am sure that there are indications. I doubt that it would ever function just like a normal bladder (otherwise we would all be growin our own, lol) but I am sure that for a subpopulation of people with SB, there could be potential benefit.

[misty]

That's true, I guess a new bladder would be better than my old funky one! I didn't think of it that way. I was thinking "new bladder fixes the problem? The problem is elsewhere!" But I suppose a new one to start over with would be pretty nice! Where do I get my mold???