A groundbreaking study in the field of bioengineering has paved the way for the creation of functional lungs using innovative techniques. Biomedical engineers have successfully designed a fully functional lung complete with healthy and intricate blood vessels, a remarkable achievement that could revolutionize the treatment of lung diseases and address the critical shortage of donor organs.
Lung transplantation remains the primary course of treatment for severe lung ailments. However, the scarcity of viable donor lungs and the substantial cost associated with transplantation limit its effectiveness, with long-term survival rates hovering around a mere 10% to 12% after a decade. These challenges underscore the urgent need for alternative solutions to save lives.
Breathing Life into Bioengineered Lungs
Researchers worldwide have been exploring avenues to enhance lung repair and bolster the pool of available donor organs. Yet, the complexity of the lung, housing over 40 distinct cell types within a vast matrix, presents formidable challenges. The intricate interface between airways and blood vessels spans an area equivalent to a tennis court, complicating the task of engineering functional scaffolds or decellularized frameworks.
Historical efforts to engineer viable lungs have yielded limited success. However, a team led by Professor Jordana Vongak Novakovic and Dr. Valerio Dorillo from Columbia University's Department of Biomedical Engineering has achieved a significant breakthrough. They have accomplished what had previously eluded researchers: creating functional lungs complete with blood vessels outside the body.
Their groundbreaking study, published in the journal Science Advances (DOI 10.1126/sciadv.1700521), details their innovative approach. This technique involves selectively removing pulmonary epithelial cells while preserving the lung's matrix and vascular network to achieve a fully functional lung construct.
A Novel Approach to Lung Engineering
Contrary to conventional methods involving artificial scaffold fabrication and stem cell incorporation, the Columbia team adopted a distinct strategy. They harnessed the natural framework of rat lungs by using detergents to eliminate lung cells. This process yielded a "skeleton" composed of extracellular matrix proteins and molecules.
Through systematic experimentation with rat lungs and focusing on the epithelial lung cells implicated in various lung diseases, the team devised a strategy to excise only the pulmonary epithelial cells while sparing the blood vessels. This approach, designed to retain the pulmonary vasculature, extracellular matrix, fibroblasts, myocytes, cartilage, and pericytes, proved promising.
The researchers introduced light detergent solutions into the isolated lung through a cannula while maintaining ventilation and subjecting it to extracellular perfusion. The solution targeted the removal of epithelial cells, safeguarding the blood vessels by circulating electrolyte and energy substrate-laden fluid. This method yielded a lung scaffold with preserved bronchial structure and blood vessels, providing a suitable platform for the association and growth of adult human and pulmonary cells derived from the bioreactor in an in vivo environment.
A Bold Leap into the Future
The successful creation of functional lungs through bioengineering marks a momentous stride in the realm of regenerative medicine. This achievement not only holds transformative potential for lung disease treatment but also shatters boundaries in bioengineering, opening up new vistas for the development of organs and tissues. The innovation spearheaded by Columbia University's pioneering team portends a brighter future for patients awaiting lung transplants and charts a course toward enhanced healthcare solutions through cutting-edge bioengineering methodologies.