Scientists have been able to manufacture blood vessels from stem cells taken from lab rats

It is being reported that scientists have been able to manufacture blood vessels from stem cells taken from lab rats.

They state that their discovery could lead to the ability to make blood vessels for transplants by using stem cells taken from muscle tissue.

The scientists grew the stem cells on elastic biodegradable tubes to engineer new blood vessels for rats within days of extracting the stem cells from the rats. They believe that their finding could aid in the treatment of people with heart and kidney disease.

For their study, researchers sprayed 10 million stem cells into small tubes, and let them grow for a week before implanting the tubes into the abdomens of rats.

After 8 weeks, the scientists discovered that the graft, had mutated into a mature artery that they state was less likely to develop blood clots compared to other grafting methods.

It is estimated that each year in the US about 1 million vascular bypass grafts are performed.