Over the years we have heard much talk of artificial blood. As the blood shortage grows so does the talk of producing blood in factories. We have also heard of artificial tissue and artificial muscles, even artificial hearts. Oh I don't want to leave artificial organs out of the picture either. Did you know that there is a site online that exists to show the progress in artificial organ development. The address is http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0160-564X for those of you that are interested in this. Even if we never develop an artificial human we may be able to replace most of the parts of humans in the future. As a matter of fact there are a growing number of associations in this field. For example there is the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs, the European Society for Artificial Organs, The Japanese Society for Artificial Organs etc., etc., etc. I guess you get the idea by now. It may be possible in the future to pull out that old liver and pop in a new one. It will be like going to the dentist.

The Human Heart
Picture Source: FDA

Artificial blood is an idea that seems to have been around forever. There have been many attempts at producing it in the past. One of the things that would be critical about artificial blood is that it doesn't cause rejection. Rejection is always a factor in replacing almost any thing in the human body. Developing artificial blood has been tried for decades, yes decades. But what does artificial blood need to accomplish. We know it must carry and easily release oxygen. It has to be thin so that the body can easily circulate it. In the past it has been hemoglobin based. Hemoglobin is a protein that you will find in the blood of most animals, it carries the oxygen. In the past when artificial blood was used the capillaries collapsed. Researchers wondered why but recently there has been a theory that the collapse was due to the fact that the hemoglobin was free floating in the artificial blood and not encased in red blood cells and this caused it to get between cells absorbing Nitric oxide, the molecule that helps to keep the blood vessels open. Now there is a new artificial blood that will be undergoing tests. It looks promising. It was used in hamsters and actually carried and released more oxygen than normal blood. It is thicker than natural blood because the hemoglobin is coated to make it bulkier and it does get to the capillaries and not between them. The new blood is called MP4. Another idea that might be tried in the future is using nanites suspended in a liquid to carry oxygen. Right now this is still science fiction but who knows what the future might hold in this area?

Artificial hearts have been around for awhile now. Dr. William Kolff invented the first artificial heart in the 1950s along with the dialysis machine, The interesting thing here is that he decided not to patent the machines and shipped them all over the world. The Jarvik 7 unit was primarily the product of Dr. Robert Jarvik and Dr. Kolff. It was implanted in the first human, Dr. Barney Clark a dentist, in 1982. He lived for 112 days with it. Dr. Jarvik is now working on an artificial heart that will be only the size of a human thumb. If perfected this should make life a lot more bearable for those who were implanted. This is also another artificial heart on the horizon, it is the electric permanent heart. It is hoped that if this device works out, everyone who needs a heart will be able to get one. Partial hearts and pacemakers are also available. Infection and stroke must be eliminated. A mechanical heart powered by a battery called the Ablocor Heart was transplanted in 14 patients over several years, they all died, but it was said the heart did not cause any of the deaths, they were from natural causes before the surgery.

Human Eyes
Photo Source: Me and my trusty Canon Camera

When we talk of artificial organ replacement we can mean many things. We can mean some sort of mechanical device that will replace some body part and perform its function such as a Cochlear implant. This is an artificial device that stimulates the nerves inside the inner ear. This in turn allows someone with it to 'hear'. Another type of Artificial organ would be an organ grown in the lab in some way if this was possible. Much work is being done on giving the blind sight. Electronics are shrinking and as they get smaller they get more suitable for use in the eyes. We are also gaining much more of an understanding of how the eyes work. Even muscles are being looked into. A polymer bases artificial muscle is being developed. The good part is that its rate of contraction is about the same as the human muscle, 2/10 of a second. An electrically activated muscle is under development and it is said that it won't wear out. Johnson and Johnson and Integra Life have come up with a collagen matrix that will allow different types of cells to regenerate such as cartilage, thus reducing the need for major knee replacement. Artificial skin has been developed and in 228 tests no rejection has taken place. This skin is very useful in burn cases because it provides a base for new skin to grow which can not happen when skin is destroyed.

The future is bright. Many repairs will be possible to our bodies in the days ahead. Will all these attachments and replacements make the quility of our lives any better? If they can become forgettable the answer has to be yes, but if we are conscious of having to lug around big devices or wear uncomfortable objects to live I am sure many might choose not to have them. Then there is also the practical consideration of insurance. Will the hospital plans pay for us to have these implantations? If not the costs may just be too excessive for the average person to bear.