Test tube bodies.

Vivienne Parry reports from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, where Dr. Charles Vacanti and Prof. Robert Langer have successfully produced the first laboratory-grown body part, a human ear grown on the back of a gnotobiotic mouse. This breakthrough was assisted by Prof. Langer's invention of a biodegradable structure for cells to grow over in the required shape. A windpipe created in this way has been successfully transplanted to animals and scientists are looking forward to enlarging upon their success by re-growing damaged nerves and even growing a liver. This organ would have to be grown inside the recipient and experiments with rats appear to be promising. Biotechnology companies are on the alert for a chance to take on cartilage production, a profitable prospect in the field of sports medicine.