Working lung cells grown from stem cells

Stem cells have successfully been turned into lung and airway cells. Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC), US, have managed to transform the stem cells into functional respiratory cells, which means that there is the potential for growing new lungs for patients.

The discovery, made by biotech company Rainbow Coral Corp (RBCC), could soon allow scientists to create models of lung disease. This will allow them to screen drugs that could lead to better courses of treatment for patients. They will also be able to study the development of the lungs and - in the future - generate lung tissue that is suitable for transplantation.

Patrick Brown, chief executive for RBCC, said: "For the first time, researchers can begin working on ways to use a patient's own skin cells to create functional lung tissue. While incredible, this is only the latest breakthrough in the booming field of stem-cell research and regenerative medicine. The value of such advances, both in dollars and in quality-of-life improvements, is just incalculable."  

The creation of functioning airway and lung cells increases the likelihood that diseases with generally bad prognoses, such as advanced lung cancer, means that patients whose previous treatment choices were only aimed at controlling pain, could have more options. While the development of functional lung tissue is still some years off, the newest findings offer hope for future patients.    

This latest discovery adds to the advances that have been made over the past few years in terms of using adult stem cells within the treatment of diseases that were previously incurable. Due to these advances, analysts believe that regenerative solutions in the medical world will grow as a market. It is expected that it will be worth over $35 billion (£21 billion) by 2019. 

Stem cells have so far been grown into a number of human cells, including liver, intestinal, heart, pancreatic beta and nerve cells, showing that this type of research is incredibly lucrative to the medical community and human health.