Many plants are now being used for experiments in trying to find solutions to damaged organs. Vegetables, such as spinach, are now being transformed into beating human heart tissue. Joshua Gershlak, a graduate student of biomedical engineering, developed the idea because "When [he] looked at the spinach leaf, its stem reminded [him] of an aorta.". He then came up with the idea to "perfuse [the fluids] right through the stem". The first step was to strip the spinach of their green material by circulating detergent through it. After that process was finished all that would remain was a cellulose structure and functioning veins. Cellulose is known to be compatible with human tissue and already is used in some cases for different medical applications. After the plants were stripped they were then infused with human cardiac cells allowing tissue to grow around the plant structure. Scientists believe that this could be a break threw in medical technology used to cure things such as heart attacks.
1. Do you believe that this will work and be the next advance in medical technology? Why or why not?
2. Would you allow this new theory to be used on you if it hadn't had very much background history developed? Explain.
I strongly believe that this finding could definitely be the next advance in medical technology. I think this because if cellulose is already used to heal other things then odds are that it is highly compatible with our bodies which would decrease the chances of our body rejecting the implants. I probably would not want this theory used on me unless it was an immediate life or death situation. I think I would rather take a safer route in the beginning until this method was fully proved safe.
https://www.livescience.com/58445-spinach-turned-into-human-heart-tissue.html
Replies
Good summary but you only commented once. Commenting is worth 20 points.
I think that if it works then it would be amazing. It could help many people, who have these kinds of issues, on the waiting lists for operations. I think that if I was desperate enough then I would do it without context because I would be up for anything. If I wasn't in too much of a hurry then I would wait till there was more Information and successes before trying it.
There isn't enough information for me to think if it will work or not, but this does look like a promising experiment.
No that is just not eve logical. I wouldn't let doctors try this out on me, especially if there isn't much background information on the study.
I think that with all of the technology we have now, they could probably find a way to make this work, and if it does, it could definitely be a break through is medical technology. I wouldn't want to be in the trial with the idea being so new, but if that was the only choice for me to possibly get better from a sickness, then I would try it.
I think that although it sounds crazy, it could defiantly be a breakthrough in medicine. I personally wouldn't want to be in the medical trial, just because of the risks. However, if I was dying, I'd rather have something that could help than nothing at all!
I think that if this idea works then it will be phenomenal in medical technology. It could possibly lead to more advances. It seems like a very simple, cheap procedure. As of right now, I would be weary about this procedure, and I wouldn't want it used on me. However if I was able to get more information, it might change my decision.
It very well could be a break through in science. Scientists are always making medical advances, it seems like they've got a good idea to make experiments and go off of. I wouldn't want to be in a medical trial because you never know what could happen.
I completely agree! It is really cool that they are using something natural and from the environment and making it compatible with the human heart. I think that it would be cooler and make me feel that the procedure was safer since it was natural.
It depends on if the body won't try to eat or reject the spinach, so I can't be entirely sure about whether it'll work or not, but I believe it has the potential to work out. Not really, because I would prefer to know how it will work and what it will do also I'm not really in a position to need something like this and will not need to try to grasp at any kind of hope like my life was dangling on a thread, but if I were then I definitely would give this a shot.
Yes, I think that since both the plant and our hearts are made of organic tissue they will mesh together well so this could be the next advance in medical technology. I think we should definitely develop it some more if we want to really get the most out of this idea.
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