We can now obtain different organs by "planting" different cells on a type of scaffold material. This special material is called "medical composite tissue-engineering scaffold material", developed by Biomedical Engineering Research Center of Xiamen University. It was recently checked and approved by experts from Science & Technology Department of Fujian Province.

According to Zhang Qiqing, a professor of Xiamen University responsible for developing this material, medical composite tissue-engineering scaffold material is a new porous and bioactive medical material compositely made from some natural substances and chitosan extracted from seashell, crab shell, shrimp shell and other sea products. With this scaffold material and cells from different organs and tissues, we can construct live organs and tissues outside human body and transplant them into human body to replace sick or damaged organs and tissues." If we compare the scaffold material to soil and the cells to seeds, scientists plant different cells in the scaffold material and after a while they can harvest different organs," Professor Zhang said.

It has been learnt that the usual treatments for sick or damaged tissues and organs are tissue and organ transplant operation and reconstruction operation. The new technique developed by Xiamen University is the third treatment for sick or damaged organs and tissues besides tissue and organ transplant operation and reconstruction operation. It can be used to construct skin, cartilage, bone, tendon and other tissues and organs outside the human body.

By People's Daily Online