Scientists Propose 'Bodyoids' To Address Medical Research and Organ Shortage Challenges (technologyreview.com) 32
Stanford University researchers have proposed creating "bodyoids" -- ethically sourced human bodies grown from stem cells without neural components for consciousness or pain sensation -- to revolutionize medical research and address organ shortages. In a new opinion piece published in MIT Technology Review, scientists Carsten T. Charlesworth, Henry T. Greely, and Hiromitsu Nakauchi argue that recent advances in biotechnology make this concept increasingly plausible. The approach would combine pluripotent stem cells, artificial uterus technology, and genetic techniques to inhibit brain development.
The researchers point to persistent shortages of human biological materials as a major bottleneck in medical progress. More than 100,000 patients currently await solid organ transplants in the US alone, while less than 15% of drugs entering clinical trials receive regulatory approval. These lab-grown bodies could potentially generate patient-specific organs that are perfect immunological matches, eliminate the need for lifelong immunosuppression, and provide personalized drug screening models.
The researchers point to persistent shortages of human biological materials as a major bottleneck in medical progress. More than 100,000 patients currently await solid organ transplants in the US alone, while less than 15% of drugs entering clinical trials receive regulatory approval. These lab-grown bodies could potentially generate patient-specific organs that are perfect immunological matches, eliminate the need for lifelong immunosuppression, and provide personalized drug screening models.
Need to develop brain transplants (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Just grow a new body every so often, and move your brain over.
But can we clone bodies as quickly as Slashdot clones news articles? I'm having a moment of deja vu right now. Did someone clone my brain and graft it on my body?
? Documentary "Parts: The Clonus Horror" 1979 (Score:2)
Growing spare body parts in "unviable" bodies.... Sounds like the 'documetary' Parts: The Clonus Horror from 1979
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
Re: revolutionary (Score:1)
Re: revolutionary (Score:1)
thanks!
on the marketing front i think they should be called "fuck stems". stem for stem cells but also to emphasize that there is nothing else there. just a fourth empty hole.
this could revolutionize things. the cure for inceldom is here if we are willing to accept it!
Re: revolutionary (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
I am sure Elon Musk would be on board
Musk seems to have an aversion to sex. That could be due to his botched penile implant, but I suspect its because he's so naturally repulsive even he doesn't want to think about himself having sex.
Also, if your first thought when hearing about mindless lumps of lab-grown human tissue is "this would be great for sex", you should seek professional help.
Re: (Score:2)
Musk seems to have an aversion to sex.
How do you figure? He has 14 known children by 4 women. That doesn't make me think "aversion to sex".
Re: (Score:1)
I had the same question on how anyone believes Elon Musk to have an aversion to sex, he's been seen in the news many times with his child. Maybe people think the child is adopted? Or just appears with Musk at random because some staffers bring children to the Oval Office for Musk to play with on camera?
I recall some news recently where some woman claims to have had a child with Elon Musk as the father. It appears Musk is not denying this and has set up some kind of child support so the mother and child a
Re: (Score:3)
Let me google that for you:
Elon Musk’s Babies Were Conceived Via IVF And Surrogacy [forbes.com]
Now you know.
Re: (Score:1)
You're just jealous that I'm going to become rich selling vapid fuckborgs, like all liberals. That's why you're trying to censor me.
Now if scientists could find way to stop dupes (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: Now if scientists could find way to stop dupes (Score:4, Funny)
Hard to do (Score:2)
Real problem, multiple solutions (Score:3)
First, let me state that more viable organs for transplants will definitely save lives. I speak from experience, as I underwent a kidney transplant about 5 years ago. Their are long waiting lists, and if could give out organs to all that need them, we could probably expand the lists and save cancer patients by cutting deeper.
Second, there are multiple ways to solve this problem. Certain less reputable countries solve it via prisoners. Others solve it via cash payments. But these less reputable solutions are not the only ones.
Some countries solve the problem not with money or unethical laws, but instead with social engineering. Spain is the world leader in organ transplants. They do so not with criminals and not with money. Instead they have an 82% consent record. That means that 82% of families asked to donate organs do so.
Others countries do it by switching from an opt-in (you agree to donate), to an opt-out (where if you do not want to donate after death you must sign an opt-out preventing donation). Though truthfully this does not result in a huge difference unless the culture also changes.
But even without attempting to change the culture / laws, there are good reasons to create these organs for the purpose of transplantation. New tech does not just solve the existing problems, it also creates new demand for problems we did not know existed.
For example, there are things called domino transplants, where an organ donor gives a healthy organ to someone in desperate need while simultaneously getting a less healthy organ themselves from a deceased donor. This lets someone that is borderline donor candidate give to someone that is a borderline recipient candidate, where normally the doctor would say it is too risky for either of them.
If we have an excess of cheap organs, then we could significantly lower the requirements before we transplant. It would be nice for people with failing organs that also have hepatitis to get an organ transplant and hope to cure the hepatitis, rather than waiting to cure the disease before they transplant.
If hospitals had organs ready to go, stored in the hospital, then when someone is in an accident, they could both fix the accident damage and give them a new organ in one surgery, rather than patching them up and waiting for them to make it to the top of the organ list.
What about pigs? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It wouldn't have paid-off anyway. All you did was buy a case of pork rinds.
Well... (Score:4, Informative)
Slashdot has perfected "Storyoids" where there are multiple identical stories, so that researchers can use story parts from any of them in any other of them.
Brainless monkeys first (Score:1)
Let's go with brainless monkeys/apes before trying brainless humans.
Why? Mostly to cut down on the screaming by those who will say "brainless people are people" and "you are murdering people."
Would have assumed (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There's very little chance for this to become a sex doll. They propose a brainless body. It is still a body, born as a braindead baby. You need 24/7 healthcare monitoring with specialized nurses to have it survive. The daily hospital fee during years makes that nothing other than organ harvesting for use in the same hospital where the bodyoid is grown/bred makes sense as a business model. Of course someone can abuse the body, but that can't be an official business at scale because the service would have to
Yo tengo un dollar in la cabeza. (Score:3)
I've seen this horror movie before (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Rumors of kidnappings. Missing persons cases closed almost as soon as they're opened. Houses going vacant, and being bulldozed overnight. Everything changed as soon as that new medical research lab opened up.
Goddammit, now I need to write a screenplay this weekend.
Re: (Score:1)
That sounds interesting, anyone have a link to where people can view the episode?
Why not... (Score:2)
Will life imitate art? (Score:2)
I'll just leave this here. [wikipedia.org]
The Island (Score:2)
techniques to inhibit brain development (Score:2)
Just no (Score:1)
They are already "kind of" doing this... (Score:2)
At least on a small, dip their toes in the water kind of way.
They grow organoids -- and we have the ability to trigger differentiating gene's to cause the stem sells to organize in to heart tissue, brain tissue, retinal tissue -- you name it. And they are getting better and growing these faster and scaling up for better research.
For those who don't know, easy to look up. The nutshell is they are mini versions of organs and tissue types which are all kinds of useful in studying the effects of disease, medi