Progress In Growing Blood Vessels
(From MSNBC). Growing blood vessels is something of a sticking point in the tissue engineering of organs or even modestly sized masses of tissue - so it is good to hear that progress is continuing in this area. "Scientist have grown human blood vessels from cells taken from elderly patients in a ground-breaking experiment that could lead to new treatments for heart disease within the next decade.
... Growing new blood vessels from a patient's own cells would enable doctors to bypass clogged arteries in patients whose own vessels are not suitable. ... The scientists, who reported their research in The Lancet medical journal, grew blood vessels in the laboratory from cells taken from four men aged 47-74 who were having coronary bypass surgery."