Scientists Grow Mini-organs in Cells from Pregnancy Fluid
2024-03-12
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1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle report.
2British researchers say they have grown small human organs using cells removed from fluid that protects developing fetuses.
3These organs are known as mini-organs, or organoids.
4They are extremely small, simple structures.
5They could be used in testing of new medical treatments or to study the workings of full-size organs.
6The University College London carried out the study.
7Researchers collected the cells from fluid removed from 12 pregnant women during routine medical examinations at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.
8The cells then were grown into organoids in a laboratory.
9The researchers said it was the first time such mini-organs had been produced from cells collected during an active pregnancy.
10The scientists said they hope their method will lead to future methods for treating conditions present before birth.
11Mattia Gerli of University College London was a lead writer of the study.
12He told the Associated Press (AP) that he and his team were "really excited" about how their research might result in important new treatment possibilities.
13The findings were reported in a study that recently appeared in the publication Nature Medicine.
14Scientists have so far produced organoids that look like some human organs, including the brain, kidney, lung, stomach and liver.
15Lab-grown mini-organs are generally used to study how organs work without the need to experiment on real ones.
16The scientists looked for which tissues the stem cells came from and then identified cells from three organs: lungs, kidneys and intestines.
17In the past, organoids could only be created from adult stem cells or tissues collected after an abortion.
18An abortion is a medical operation to end a pregnancy.
19The current method does not violate rules that govern direct removal of stem cells from fetal tissue.
20The amniotic fluid method permits scientists to get cells from fetuses during the latter parts of pregnancy.
21Governments around the world have different regulations covering abortions.
22In Britain, the legal limit for ending a pregnancy is generally 22 weeks after conception.
23This rule prevents British researchers from studying some parts of normal human development or diseases that are present past 22 weeks.
24In the United States, abortion restrictions differ by state.
25Most states ban the use of fetal tissue for research, said Alta Charo.
26She is a retired professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
27Charo was not part of the latest study.
28Fetal tissue is defined by the National Institutes of Health as material coming from a dead human embryo or fetus.
29The tissue could come from a fetus that was aborted or did not survive because of medical problems with the pregnancy.
30The use of tissue from an abortion has long been controversial.
31Charo said the new method does not raise the same ethical concerns.
32And taking amniotic fluid during a woman's pregnancy "does not appear to add any physical risks to either fetus or pregnant woman," Charo said in an email to the AP.
33As part of the experiments, the researchers worked with scientists in Belgium to study the development of babies with a condition called congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
34This can result in organs such as the liver and intestines getting displaced into the chest.
35About 30 percent of fetuses with this disease die because the lungs cannot fully develop.
36If doctors could identify the condition before birth, they could operate on a fetus to fix it.
37In the experiments, researchers grew lung organoids from the cells of fetuses with the hernia condition before and after treatment.
38When comparing those organoids to organoids from healthy fetuses, the team was able to use the lab method to identify the affected child's condition before birth.
39The scientists said this ability to study working, pre-birth mini-organs is the first step toward establishing more detailed prognosis information and improving treatment methods.
40And that's the Health and Lifestyle report.
41I'm Anna Matteo.
42And I'm Bryan Lynn.
1From VOA Learning English, this is the Health and Lifestyle report. 2British researchers say they have grown small human organs using cells removed from fluid that protects developing fetuses. 3These organs are known as mini-organs, or organoids. They are extremely small, simple structures. They could be used in testing of new medical treatments or to study the workings of full-size organs. 4The University College London carried out the study. Researchers collected the cells from fluid removed from 12 pregnant women during routine medical examinations at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. 5The cells then were grown into organoids in a laboratory. The researchers said it was the first time such mini-organs had been produced from cells collected during an active pregnancy. 6The scientists said they hope their method will lead to future methods for treating conditions present before birth. 7Mattia Gerli of University College London was a lead writer of the study. He told the Associated Press (AP) that he and his team were "really excited" about how their research might result in important new treatment possibilities. 8The findings were reported in a study that recently appeared in the publication Nature Medicine. 9Scientists have so far produced organoids that look like some human organs, including the brain, kidney, lung, stomach and liver. Lab-grown mini-organs are generally used to study how organs work without the need to experiment on real ones. 10The scientists looked for which tissues the stem cells came from and then identified cells from three organs: lungs, kidneys and intestines. 11In the past, organoids could only be created from adult stem cells or tissues collected after an abortion. An abortion is a medical operation to end a pregnancy. 12The current method does not violate rules that govern direct removal of stem cells from fetal tissue. The amniotic fluid method permits scientists to get cells from fetuses during the latter parts of pregnancy. 13Governments around the world have different regulations covering abortions. In Britain, the legal limit for ending a pregnancy is generally 22 weeks after conception. This rule prevents British researchers from studying some parts of normal human development or diseases that are present past 22 weeks. 14In the United States, abortion restrictions differ by state. Most states ban the use of fetal tissue for research, said Alta Charo. She is a retired professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Charo was not part of the latest study. 15Fetal tissue is defined by the National Institutes of Health as material coming from a dead human embryo or fetus. The tissue could come from a fetus that was aborted or did not survive because of medical problems with the pregnancy. The use of tissue from an abortion has long been controversial. 16Charo said the new method does not raise the same ethical concerns. And taking amniotic fluid during a woman's pregnancy "does not appear to add any physical risks to either fetus or pregnant woman," Charo said in an email to the AP. 17As part of the experiments, the researchers worked with scientists in Belgium to study the development of babies with a condition called congenital diaphragmatic hernia. This can result in organs such as the liver and intestines getting displaced into the chest. About 30 percent of fetuses with this disease die because the lungs cannot fully develop. If doctors could identify the condition before birth, they could operate on a fetus to fix it. 18In the experiments, researchers grew lung organoids from the cells of fetuses with the hernia condition before and after treatment. When comparing those organoids to organoids from healthy fetuses, the team was able to use the lab method to identify the affected child's condition before birth. 19The scientists said this ability to study working, pre-birth mini-organs is the first step toward establishing more detailed prognosis information and improving treatment methods. 20And that's the Health and Lifestyle report. 21I'm Anna Matteo. 22And I'm Bryan Lynn. 23The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. 24__________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26conception - n. the moment when a woman or animal becomes pregnant 27controversial - adj. causing a lot of disagreement or argument 28ethical - adj. relating to what is right or wrong 29latter - adj. coming or happening near the end of a process, activity, series, life, etc 30regulation - n. an official rule or law that says how something should be done 31prognosis - n. a judgement a doctor makes about a sick person's change of becoming healthy