Scientists have managed to use body fat and turned it into cartilage It is now hoped technique could help patients born with microtia At the moment, doctors take cartilage from other parts of the body

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 06:43 EST, 2 March 2014 | UPDATED: 06:46 EST, 2 March 2014

British scientists are aiming to grow ears and noses in a laboratory to transplant then into humans.

Scientists from Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London have managed to use abdominal body fat and turn it into cartilage.

It is now hoped that the technique could help patients who have been born with microtia, which means the ear fails to develop properly, or who have been in an accident.

Scientists from Great Ormond Street Hospital are aiming to grow ears and noses in a laboratory to transplant then into humans

At the moment, surgeons take cartilage from other parts of the body to treat children with facial defects.

The painful procedure sees them shape the nose or ear, and implant it into the child, The Telegraph reports.

The new technique would mean that doctors 'grow' the organ separately using a tiny sample of fat from the child.

Original post:
Ears and noses to be grown in lab from stem cells for human transplants thanks to revolutionary technique