Scientists develop first 3D mini lung

New York, March 25: Scientists have grown the first 3D mini lungs from stem cells. The 3D structures bear greater similarity to the human lung than previously made 2D structures, researchers said. The scientists succeeded in growing structures resembling both the large proximal airways and the small distal airways, according to the study published in eLife. “We expected different cells types to form, but their organisation into structures resembling human airways surprised us and is a very exciting result,” said lead author Jason Spence from the University of Michigan. The scientists used embryonic stem cells, proteins involved in lung development, growth factors and protein mixture in a Petri dish. The next challenge was to make these structures expand and develop into lung tissue by exposing the cells to proteins involved in lung development. “The lung organoids are self-organising, and do not require further manipulation to generate 3-dimensiol tissues,” Spence explained. However, since these structures were developed in a dish, they are lacking several components of the tive lung, including the blood vessels. (IANS)