China develops world's first artificial sternum
( 2003-08-24 15:33) (Xinhua)
The Shanghai Thoracic
Hospital has succeeded in developing the world's first artificial human chest
bones, by using pig bones for the purpose of repairing broken thoracic walls.
According to the Beijing Daily, the artificial chest bones, or sternums, have
so far only been used on dogs, but the experiments have proved successful. The
sternums will be put into trial clinical use in one year's time, according to
doctors cited by the newspaper.
To make artificial sternums, doctors first separated a small amount of rib
cells from patients for breeding, and then transplanted them into pig bones the
cells of which had been removed.
The human rib cells survived and grew on the pig bones, functioned as a
culture medium, and absorbed the pig bones, which are decomposable. Finally a
chest bone fully consisting of the patient's cells came into being, according to
Tan Qiang, who was in charge of the experiment.
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