Growing Body Parts From Human Cells: '60 Minutes' Examines Idea (VIDEO)

Growing Body Parts From Human Cells: '60 Minutes' Examines Idea (VIDEO)

Advances in regenerative medicine means it's possible for damaged body parts to be regrown from human cells, and 60 Minutes featured the growing area of study.

The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is working on this with all kinds of organs and parts of the body and hopes to fight the fact people are dying while on the transplant wait list.

Dr. Anthony Atala of the Wake Forest Institute told CBS the goal is to "provide replacement tissues and organs that can be used to help [such patients] survive."

Atala says some body parts are easier to recreate than others, such as the ear, though the hope is eventually all body parts can be regenerated.

So far, human bladders have already been replicated based on cells and replaced into the body. Each replication takes approximately 6 to 8 weeks.

WATCH the full feature on "Growing Body Parts From Human Cells" below:

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE