X-Message-Number: 13932 Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2000 10:25:59 -0400 From: James Swayze <> Subject: Re: CryoNet #13896 - #13912 References: <> First, I didn't get a tuesday cryonet. Is it my mail servers fault? How do I get it replaced? CryoNet wrote: > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message #13898 > From: "Terry Grossman" <> > Subject: human replacement parts > Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2000 08:08:07 -0600 > snip > > One problem with this technology, however, is that the "age" of the new organ created is the same as that of the patient from which the cells are taken. The reason this is a problem is that in most cases, individuals needing replacement organs are elderly. If a new bladder is created for an 80 year old, with current technologies, that bladder will be 80 years old as well. > > In the next 10 or 20 years, it should be possible to create many additional tissue types such as replacement hearts, lungs, stomachs, etc. Most of these organs will be used to replace diseased tissues in elderly patients. Wouldn't it be ideal if we could harvest some cells from these patients today and store them for their own future use? This technology now exists and, by taking advantage of it, 50 year olds who store some tissue specimens today would have their own 50 year old cells to create spare parts for their future use several decades from now. Imagine developing a medical condition such as heart or kidney failure some years in the future and which would require organ replacement to restore health. With today's technology, a cadaver transplant would be required, which has numerous associated problems. With a stored tissue sample, however, the doctors would simply take some of your cells, which had been stored way back at the turn of the century (i.e., right now) ! > and create the needed organ. Spare parts on demand and taken from a younger you to boot! > Long life and best wishes, > > Terry Grossman, M.D. > Medical Director, > Frontier Medical Institute > 2801 Youngfield St., Suite 117 > Denver CO 80401 > (303) 233-4247 I recall somewhere running across news that recent cloning research showed that it actually made cells younger and that oddly enough successive cloning increased this effect. In the report it was pointed out that the fellow who cloned Dolly erred upon not enough samples for his statement that olds cells beget old cells/sheep. Perhaps this was posted here and I know I saw it in mainstream science news. Also, I had heard that human chromosomal telomers had been rejuvenated in experiment invitro and even invivo. So my question is, is it really certain that tissue stored for organ or whatever tissue engineering will hold the original cells age. If the cloning research is correct then this would seem to not be the case. As to telomer rejuvenation, could this be done to the stock tissue before cloning/engineering it? Is this enough the reset the age of a parent cell or are there other factors involved? Whichever is the case it's a good idea. I better start saving my pennies. ;) James Swayze -- "Quod de futuris non est determinata omnino veritas" NOSTRADAMUS 15TH Century Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=13932