Scientists create world's first vagina in lab using patients' tissues

LONDON: In a path-breaking procedure, scientists have carried out successful vaginal implant in four women using engineered tissues.
A team of scientists in the US and Mexico, led by Professor Anthony Atala from Wake Forest School of Medicine, implanted tissue-engineered vaginal organs in four women, aged 13–18 years. The women suffered from a condition known as Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome that causes the vagina to be underdeveloped or absent.
After transplantation, the organs continue to function as if they were native tissues and all recipients are sexually active, report no pain and remain satisfied with their desire/arousal, lubrication and orgasm, according to British medical journal ‘The Lancet’.
The team obtained a vulvar tissue from each patient from which they grew smooth muscle cells and vaginal epithelial cells in the lab. The cells were then placed onto specially designed vagina-shaped biodegradable scaffolds and left to grow for seven days. The researchers then surgically implanted the engineered vaginas which remain structurally and functionally normal.
Prof Atala said, “Tissue biopsy samples show that the reconstructed tissue is histologically and functionally similar to normal vaginal tissue. This technique is a viable option for vaginal reconstruction and has several advantages over current reconstructive methods because only a small biopsy of tissue is required, and using vaginal cells may reduce complications that arise from using non-vaginal tissues (segments of large intestine or skin) such as infection and graft shrinkage.”
According to professor Martin Birchall of UCL London, “They have not only successfully treated several patients with a difficult clinical problem, but addressed some of the most important questions facing translation of tissue-engineering technologies.” “The steps between first-in-human experiences such as those reported here and their use in routine clinical care remain many, including larger trials with long-term follow-up, the development of clinical grade processing, scale-out and commercialisation. However, these hurdles are common to all potentially disruptive technologies and many countries now have large translational income streams, engaged biotech companies and streamlined regulatory processes that may reduce the time to routine use significantly.”