# What is this latest range or fad in medicine? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 13, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813 "2016-09-13T00:19:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/1 "2016-09-13T00:19:18Z")
It seems media and everyone is talking about these days are 3D organ printing or organ grafting by use of stem cells for use of organ failure or replacement. Like new windpipe, spleen, heart valve, ear, bladder, lungs so on. What is with this range or fad these days? How do they know these 3D organ printing or organ grafting are safe for use?:eek::eek::eek: Why not just use stem cell on the bad organ than throwing it out and giving you a new one. ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/2 "2016-09-17T22:17:32Z")
Sorry I’m not asking how 3D organ printing or organ grafting works there are a number videos on youtube on it. And showing how 3D organ printing or organ grafting works and videos on it. I was asking what media range is about. And why they NOT USE stem cell on the bad organ than throwing it out and giving you a new one. Seem simpler than what they are trying do here. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/3 "2016-09-17T22:42:50Z")
“Media range”? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/4 "2016-09-17T22:52:09Z")
> [@sweat209](#): > > And why they NOT USE stem cell on the bad organ than throwing it out and giving you a new one. Seem simpler than what they are trying do here. How do you imagine they can “use stem cell on the bad organ”? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/5 "2016-09-17T23:03:28Z")
Stem cells are being researched for heart failure. > **[Stem cell therapy improves outcomes in severe heart failure: In patients with...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160404180956.htm)** > > A new stem cell therapy significantly improved long-term health outcomes in patients with severe and end-stage heart failure in a new study. There is also research on using stem cells as a treatment for type 1 diabetes. > **[Stem cells from diabetic patients coaxed to become insulin-secreting cells:...](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160510132809.htm)** > > Signaling a potential new approach to treating diabetes, researchers have produced insulin-secreting cells from stem cells derived from patients with type 1 diabetes. The new discovery suggests a personalized treatment approach to diabetes may be on... Liver failure too > **[Stem cell therapy for liver failure could replace liver transplants](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/297102)** > > For the first time, researchers have successfully repaired severe liver damage and restored the organ's function in a live mouse using stem cells grown in the lab. So using them to repair an organ like the heart, liver or pancreas rather than replace it is an area of research. I’m not sure why they may choose to repair an organ in one situation but replace it in another. I’m sure they have their reasons though. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/6 "2016-09-18T00:41:27Z")
Looking up info for another thread,I found black mold described as “the new asbestos”, n terms of health-related lawsuits. ---
**Author:** ![urban1a](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47c2d/32.png) [@urban1a](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urban1a)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/7 "2016-09-18T01:53:04Z")
There seems to be a stem cell clinical trial going on now for COPD, also. Maybe I don’t understand stem cells very much, but this trial injects the cells into the blood stream. Shouldn’t they be ‘pumped’ unto the lungs some way? Do these stem cells have the lung address encoded in their DNA or something. Actually, I might volunteer, since I have COPD, but there are no trials in my area. Bob ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/8 "2016-09-18T01:58:16Z")
I remember when interferon was being touted as THE potential cure for cancer. It turns out that it’s only useful for several rare types of leukemia or lymphoma; however, if you have one of those types, it’s awfully important, and it also helped pave the way for the immune therapies that are expanding so much nowadays. The 3-D printed body parts are made out of some kind of bodily-compatible material, and the patient’s own stem cells can be planted into them to avoid rejection, and also allows the artificial part to become part of their own body. So far, AFAIK this has mostly been used for children who have a very rare defect of the trachea, and enables the children to get off a ventilator and later a tracheostomy. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/9 "2016-09-18T02:38:05Z")
Crispr. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/10 "2016-09-18T02:45:58Z")
This might be more helpful: [CRISPR](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CRISPR) ---
**Author:** ![sweat209](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@sweat209](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweat209)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-latest-range-or-fad-in-medicine/765813/11 "2017-06-04T10:31:35Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The 3-D printed body parts are made out of some kind of bodily-compatible material, and the patient’s own stem cells can be planted into them to avoid rejection, and also allows the artificial part to become part of their own body. So far, AFAIK this has mostly been used for children who have a very rare defect of the trachea, and enables the children to get off a ventilator and later a tracheostomy. There is video on youtube on this!! I just watched it today. It is called 3-D organ printing the printing of replacement organs like blood vessels, heart valves, windpipe, collagen, bone, bladder, ureter so on. Looks like some really interesting things they are doing. I’m not sure how advance they have become over the years or what the technology challenges are. But I believe they hope to have replacement body organs in 4 to 8 years from now. This means that organ transplant waiting list could be the thing of past in 4 to 8 years from now.