Scientists hunt for the secret to growing transplant organs

One day -- in about 10 years, if things go well -- someone who needs a new kidney in order to live will not have to wait for the untimely death of an organ donor.

"Rather than having to wait for somebody to die in a horrible accident, you can call up the surgeon, schedule surgery and the organ which is made by an engineer will be available, just like stitches are available now -- off the shelf, ready and waiting for you," says Kim Jones, an assistant professor in chemical engineering at McMaster University. She's researching just how science will be able to duplicate or grow the organs we so desperately need.

Ultimately, people would be able to regenerate their own kidneys or livers.

It would solve a growing problem in this country. Almost 4,000 Canadians were waiting for an organ transplant last year with 75 per cent of them needing a kidney. In some provinces, the wait can be as long as eight years. And figures released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information in April showed organ donation rates from deceased donors in Canada have been stagnant for 10 years despite an increase in the number of people needing organs.

Jones, 33, is not just dreaming. Her current work with mice will contribute to that lofty medical goal. Jones, who works in McMaster's new School of BioEngineering, is researching the construction of prototypes of different organs for mice and studying the responses of recipients to the new organs.

Tomorrow, she'll be giving a public lecture about the success stories and the coming challenges in regenerative medicine. Jones launches McMaster's latest Science in the City lecture series which is co-sponsored by The Hamilton Spectator. The series takes place at McMaster Innovation Park, 175 Longwood Rd. S. Admission is free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the talk, with a question-and-answer session, begins at 7 p.m.

Researchers are currently able to grow skin tissue in a lab and repair damage to burn victims, or those with diabetic ulcers or bed sores. Jones said they are also close to engineering bone tissue and cartilage.

"But once we get to the more complex tissues, such as the kidneys and the heart, there are more difficult issues to address," she said.

Jones said that medical researchers have a "proof of principle" -- they know they can grow cells on biomaterials, such as plastics and plants. Now comes the second stage of questions: How do you feed the cells as you build the new organ? What materials do you use? How do you keep the organ alive so that it is quickly available? How do you stop the organ from being rejected or from scarring up instead of regenerating?

The latter question is the focus of Jones's research.
The research is costly and often controversial -- especially in the discussions over where the cells used for growth should come from in the first place. The issue is the use of embryonic stem cells.

And that leads to other questions, said Jones, such as whether it's practical for a person's own stem cells to be used, or if a more "production line" approach should be taken.