器官组织 z-bo 2020-11-05 349

　　Scientists have successfully cultivated a complete thymus in an animal body for the first time. This tissue can produce T cells and is an important part of the immune system. According to foreign media reports, the latest research by Scottish scientists has shown that for the first time, new functional organs are fully grown in animals. A group of cells implanted in a mouse can develop into a thymus, which is the main component of the immune system.

　　Experts pointed out that the research has certain development prospects, but it will take many years to achieve the human clinical stage.

　　The thymus is located near the heart and can generate T cells, a component of the immune system, which can effectively cure infections. Scientists from the Centre for Regenerative Medicine of the Medical Research Council of the University of Edinburgh are in charge of this research. They started with the cultivation of mouse embryo cells.

　　T cells can be genetically "reprogrammed" and transformed into a cell type in the thymus, after which they are mixed with other supporting cells. Once these cells are implanted in the mouse, they will develop into a fully functional thymus.

　　This is similar to a 2013 study in which scientists successfully cultivated a human brain in the laboratory, which is equivalent to a 9-week-old fetus. The thymus is a very simple organ. In the experiment, the thymus cultivated by the mouse is fully functional. Structurally, it contains two main parts-cortex and medulla. They can also produce T cells.

　　Dr. Clare Blackburn, a member of the research team, said: “When the research team succeeded in the experiment, it was a huge surprise for us! We used a very simple method, starting with reprogramming the cells and finally cultivating A fully functional tissue and organ. This is a development milestone in the field of regenerative medicine and has broad development prospects. Patients who need bone marrow transplantation and children who are born without a functional thymus will benefit from it."

　　The medical method of strengthening the thymus will also help the elderly patient population. As they age, they begin to shrink their organs and form a weak immune system. However, this research still needs to overcome some obstacles from animal experiments to human clinical treatment. The current technology uses embryos, which means that the cultivation of regenerated thymus cannot match the patient's body tissues. At the same time, researchers need to determine that these transplanted cells are uncontrolled. Cancer cells will not be formed during cultivation.