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American scientists for the first time were able to grow human lungs in lab

February 18, 2014  15:59

For their experiments researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston used the portions of damaged and unfit for lung transplantation lungs from two deceased children, who had died from an accident.  One of the organs was treated so, thatonly the skeleton of connective tissue remained.The researchers then gathered cells from the other set of lungs and applied them to the scaffolding. Then the sample was placed in a chamber filled with nutritious liquid, Fox News reports. 

About a month later, scientists have documented that the cells began to multiply, and soon the organ grew to normal size. Thereafter, the experiment was carried out repeatedly.

"It's taken us a year to prove to ourselves that we actually did a good job with it. You don't run out immediately and tell the world you have something wonderful until you've proved it to ourselves that we really did something amazing,"  researcher Dr. Joan Nichols said.

Artificially grown lungs look exactly like real ones, only softer and more saturated pink. Inthe next two years, scientists will try to transplant them to the pigs.

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