Nano Futures: Engineered Tissues

The technology to engineer human tissues and to eventually grow complex human organs is, clearly, one of the most significant goals of medical advancement and nanotechnology.

The Center for Nanotechnology in Society describes the fully-developed result of this technology with an illustration of how it could be used to build organs for the human cardiovascular system: “Cells are arranged by inserting them into a device analogous to an inkjet printer where cells are ink. The cells are then printed in a two dimensional pattern such as a circle. After a circle of cells is laid down on top of a sheet of scaffold, another layer of scaffold is placed on top, followed by yet another circle of cells and another sheet of scaffold. Several circles placed in this way will reorganize the scaffold to form a tubular tissue, thus creating a tissue with a vascular system.”

In some ways, this technology represents the numerous proposed benefits of the end-goals of stem cell research, but without the associated controversy surrounding this somewhat misunderstood issue.

This is the general position of medicine today: extend human life or preserve it to every extent conceivably allowable. From this ethical standpoint, there is little to suggest that the development of nano-engineered tissues should have any detrimental effects on society.

Another blogger noted that this could eventually be extended to animals – creating nano-engineered foods without the necessity of breeding and slaughtering other animals. Doubtlessly, there will be many individuals and groups apprehensive about such an application – such as consumer groups against nanotechnology in food. However, there is the potential for nanotechnology to suddenly become attractive to numerous animal rights groups or organizations.

Still, as is the case with virtually every emerging medical treatments – particularly in the United States – there is the lingering concern of who will have this treatment made available to them.

Clearly, this is an aspect of the debate that is not simply limited to nano-engineered treatments but to the whole United States medical community; it raises the question as to whether or not a privatized medical treatment organization is ever morally justified. Ultimately, many believe, the potential advances that nanotechnology may facilitate will bring these expansive ethical issues to a head. Put differently, nanotech treatments could possibly deepen the social chasm between the rich and the poor and, therefore, pursuing them may be immoral.

Let them know what you think: http://cns.asu.edu/nanofutures/blog-tissues.php.