British researchers announced this month that they managed to take stem cells from mice embryos and change them into a type of lung cell — the first time such a transformation has been accomplished.
Researchers at the Imperial College Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Centre took the stem cells from the mice embryos and placed them in a growth factor solution which caused the cells to transform into cells that typically line the lungs. Dr. Anne Bishop, who participated in the research, told the BBC,
This research will make it possible eventually to repair lungs that have been damaged by disease, by implanting fully functioning lung cells to repopulate damaged areas. Also, unlike transplantation from a donor, the cells can be developed in such a way that the body will not reject them.
That sort of procedure is at least a decade off, but this research is an important first step to making such procedures possible.
Source:
‘Growing human lungs’ a step closer. The BBC, May 16, 2002.