(RT News) – Researchers working to develop laboratory-grown human kidneys were left stunned after observing that the mini organs they were working on started sprouting brain and muscle cells instead of additional kidney cells. The test-tube grown miniature kidneys, or kidney organoids, are made from stem cells that are encouraged to develop into clusters of specific kidney cells. Scientists hope that the process could one day treat people with kidney diseases.
However, recently published finding discovered that the technique had some unknown consequences, actually creating other cells that weren’t kidney related. While researchers are enthusiastic about using this process to help people fight diseases, there is a catch. Dr. Benjamin D. Humphreys, one of the report’s authors, warned that “scientists haven’t fully appreciated” that some of the cells that make up the lab grown organs may not mimic what we would find in people. READ MORE
