Grow New Prostate Using Stem Cells
Last Updated on Monday, 07 September 2009 11:53 Written by Josh White Sunday, 23 November 2008 07:54
A team of genetic engineers from San Francisco has grown a prostate gland using mice cells. The breakthrough offers scientists the possibility of creating a drug that prevents prostate cancer.
The researchers from the California biotechnology firm Genentech extracted cells from some prostate tissue in mice and grafted these to a mouse kidney. In just a few weeks, the tissue grew into a full-size human prostate gland.
The research, details of which appeared in the journal Nature, will help scientists understand how stem cells trigger prostate cancer leading to ideas to stop the disease.
Although a cultured prostate gland could be transplanted to patients to replace cancerous glands, the researchers did not intend to use the technology for surgery but rather for developing drugs against the disease.
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