Lazlo spoke about hypothetical medical breakthroughs in the future.
In the 19th century, it would have seemed inconceivable that bacterial infections could one day be killed off with a simple pill, but antibiotics would be arriving soon. Today, most people would say that growing real human body parts is impossible, but we’re starting to learn that that’s not the case.
Personally, I think that the next big medical breakthrough will be EpiBone.
They have developed a new method of growing human bones outside the body, using 3d technology.
The company is called EpiBone an her technique is surprisingly simple. A CT scan is taken of the patient’s damaged bone, and a 3D model is created. That 3D model is used to CNC mill an animal – usually cow – bone into the exact shape of the graft that needs to be implanted into the patient. Then, fat cells are taken from the patient, and stem cells from the fat are isolated. (Stem cells from fat are capable of growing into many other different forms of tissue, which makes them ideal for this process.) Those stem cells are placed into a bioreactor with the milled animal bone; the idea is that they will grow around the bone, essentially engulfing it – when the bioreactor is opened, a new bone comprised of the patient’s own cells will be ready for implant. Once it’s implanted, it continues to grow and merge with the bone around it.
Please take a look at their website:
http://epibone.com/ Plastic surgery is becoming a growing business. Let us imagine - Epibone is able to "create" calvarial bone from your own stem cells.
As you might know, calvarial bone is the only permanent material for facial bone augmentation in order to stay "natty"!
Two world class surgeons confirmed me that!
Would it not be the perfect material for facial bone augmentation?