Stem cells grow facial bone for 15 year old kid

[Left coast liberal]

Surgeons at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital used stem cells to reconstruct a boy's entire face.

According to an article in DbTechNo, teenager Brad Guilkey, 15, was born with a rare genetic medical condition known as Treacher Collins Syndrome, in which bones and tissue of the face do not develop.

Using a combination of donor bone, growth hormone and Brad’s own stem cells to regenerate bones for his face, and months after the surgery he is recovering very nicely. The 8 hour surgery was performed earlier this year.

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-19093-Seattle-Special-Needs-Kids-Examiner~y2009m10d13-Stem-cells-successful-in-growing-bone-in-boys-face

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Amazingly wonderful..offers hope to so many with problems like that.

[KansDem]

3. If I ever came into a lot of money, i.e., win the lottery...

I would establish a foundation for those with craniofacial disorders, to research and provide medical services.

Such disorders are very difficult for young people, particularly those in their teen years...

[BrklynLiberal]

5. You are right....

[Oregone]

2. Maybe they can grow a spine for Harry Reid.

[kickysnana]

7. +1

[tridim]

4. The health care reform debate is ignoring these medical breakthroughs

And I think that major breakthroughs are going to be the norm in the next 20 years.

Health care might be on the brink of becoming very cheap and orders of magnitude more effective for everyone on Earth. I hope.

[hedgehog]

6. I'm starting to suspect that the dirty little secret of health care costs is

that it's not the spectacular procedures running up the bill but inefficient ways of doing seemingly trivial things like tracking patient medications.