News of the scientific advancement toward cyborg technology continues with a report from the Journal of the prestigious Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Medical researchers in London have developed a biosynthetic artery for use in bypass operations. They have combined a man made elastic scaffold of of compliant polyurethane with human vascular smooth muscle cells and cord epithelial cells.
Testing shows that blood flow actually increases the performance of the graft material. It's thought that the fluid movement stimulates the cells to release proteins that strengthens their ability to attach to the scaffold and the other cells. As Editor-in-Chief of the FASEB Journal, Dr. Gerald Weissmann, notes, the idea that replacement parts could be grown in the lab, attach naturally, and grow stronger with use would have been thought impossible just a couple decades ago.
A coronary bypass operaton is major surgery. It's made much more difficult on the patient by requiring a second major surgery be performed at the same time to remove an artery from the leg for use in the bypass. This biosynthetic artery will reduce the pain and recovery time required.
It's only a matter of time before synthetic and biosynthetic body parts will be produced that far exceed the capabilities of natural body parts. Imagine having a biosynthetic heart and lungs that perform 1000 times better than the natural organs. Biosynthetic skin that doesn't wrinkle or age, and is resistant to burns, cuts, and contusions, and heals with incredible speed. We're on the doorstep of a scientific and medical revolution.
