engineering

Neo-organ

Neo-organ is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Neo-organ rather than just read about it. In short: In tissue engineering, neo-organ is the final structure of a procedure based on transplantation consisting of endogenous stem/progenitor cells grown ex vivo within predesigned matrix scaffolds. Current organ donation faces the problems of patients waiting to match for an organ and the possible risk of the patient's body rejecting the organ.

Key takeaways

Neo-organ belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Neo-organ to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Neo-organ from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In tissue engineering, neo-organ is the final structure of a procedure based on transplantation consisting of endogenous stem/progenitor cells grown ex vivo within predesigned matrix scaffolds. Current organ donation faces the problems of patients waiting to match for an organ and the possible risk of the patient's body rejecting the organ. Neo-organs are being researched as a solution to those problems with organ donation. Suitable methods for creating neo-organs are still under development. One experimental method is using adult stem cells, which use the patients own stem cells for organ donation. Currently this method can be combined with decellularization, which uses a donor organ for structural support but removes the donors cells from the organ. Similarly, the concept of 3-D bioprinting organs has shown experimental success in printing bioink layers that mimic the layer of organ tissues. However, these bioinks do not provide structural support like a donor organ. Current methods of clinically successful neo-organs use a combination of decellularized donor organs, along with adult stem cells of the organ recipient to account for both the structural support of a donor organ and the personalization of the organ for each individual patient to reduce the chance of rejection.

Background

The word neo-organ comes from the Greek word "neos," which means new. Organ transplants have been successfully used for medical purposes since 1954. The difficulty with the traditional process of organ transplants is that it requires waiting for a viable donor to donate an organ. The process of matching the organ to make sure it is compatible with the patient has also proven to be challenging. There are two main challenges: finding the right candidate for the patient and avoiding the patient rejecting the organ even if it is a match. Neo-organs can be used to avoid the process of organ matching and donating.

Neo-Organ Creation Methods Research is being conducted for methods of creating neo-organs including three methods such as using adult stem cells, decellularization, and 3-D Bioprinting:

Adult Stem Cells One of the most studied methods is to use the patients own cells to generate a new organ, ex-vivo Specifically, researchers have chosen to focus on adult stem cells, or somatic stem cells, for the generation of new organ cells to create organs. There has been success in the production and use of some organs. The first stem-cell based organ, a tracheal graft, was transplanted successfully in 2008. The method involves obtaining a donor organ, removing the cells and MHC antigens from the donor organ, and colonizing it with stem cells obtained from the patient. This method does not create an entire organ from stem cells, and it still requires a donor to provide the decellularized graft. However, the first surgery done with this method was successful and the patient has shown no signs of rejection since. The current debate with this method is whether the decellularized graft was only used to provide the shape of the organ, or whether it provided benefits from it being a donor graft. Current research is being done to find ways to use adult stem cells for neo-organs without using decellularized donor organs for structural support.

Decellularization

Researchers have begun to focus on decellularization for organ transplants since it reduces the chance of rejection to almost none. This process was used in the first successful stem-cell based organ transplant by removing the cells and MHC antigens from the donor organ. There are different ways to remove the cells from the organ which can include physical, chemical, and enzymatic treatments. This method is especially useful when trying to create a neo-heart because the heart needs to be created in a way where the structure remains. Since the stem cells used are currently not able to maintain a shape, researchers have started to look more into decellularization of existing organs to be able to perform successful transplant procedures without the problem of rejection. While this method may assist with the problem of rejection, donors are still needed to provide this structure to patients.

3-D Bioprinting The process of creating a 3-D organ with stem cells is thought to not be possible without the structural support of a donor organ. However, new studies are being conducted that discuss research on the process of 3-D bioprinting organs. The process of 3-D Bioprinting includes combining cells and growth factors to create a bioink, then using that bioink to print individual layers of tissue. Research is being done to find ways to use the formulated bioink to print organs that have the same structural support of donor organs without the need for donors. While currently there have not been experimental success with printing structural organs, there has been success with using bioink for printing tissue layers. A method for creating gelatin based vascularized bone equivalents has shown to be successful in a small scale experiment, but it has not been used clinically.

References

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Neo-organ

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Neo-organ claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Neo-organ before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Neo-organ ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Neo-organ

In research: Neo-organ appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Neo-organ in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Neo-organ is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Tissue engineering, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Neo-organ outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Neo-organ in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Neo-organ means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Neo-organ out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Neo-organ in simple terms?

Why does Neo-organ matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Neo-organ?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Neo-organ.