Scientists just gave a rat the first lab-grown replacement limb
A team of scientists in Boston has given one rat a second chance at walking.
Doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital have created what they're calling the first lab-grown replacement limb. And the key might have been a fancy type of detergent:
Once the muscles were fully grown, the researchers attached the limb onto the lucky rat, whose body accepted the transplant without incident. The process is described in full at the journal Biomaterials.
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While the rat's surgery could bring scientists one step closer to performing similar operations on human patients, Dr. Steven Badylak, deputy director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, cautioned it will likely be more than a decade, at the earliest.
You can watch a time lapse video of the procedure below: Meghan DeMaria
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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
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