Engineering Body Parts: Lab-Grown Vaginas Successfully Implanted

Scientists from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine have successfully implanted human patients with laboratory-grown vaginas.  Four teenage girls born with the rare genetic condition Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome were fitted with sex organs grown from their own cells that were cultured into tissues. 

"This pilot study is the first to demonstrate that vaginal organs can be constructed in the lab and used successfully in humans," said Anthony Atala, M.D, director of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, via Medical Xpress. "This may represent a new option for patients who require vaginal reconstructive surgeries. In addition, this study is one more example of how regenerative medicine strategies can be applied to a variety of tissues and organs."

For the study, four teenage girls between the ages of 13 and 18 at the time of their surgeries were given new vaginas, made up of their own cells from external genitalia. Following completion of the procedure from June 2005 to October 2008, participants reported normal sexual function post treatment. Sexual function was monitored using the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire, which examined factors such as desire and painful-intercourse.

One of the recipients from the questionnaires reported as having "normal sexual function after the treatment, including desire and pain-free intercourse," according to Newsweek. 

As MRKH syndrome affects roughly 1 in every 4,500 young women, a congenital condition in which the uterus and vagina are either underdeveloped or absent, this restorative procedure could help those suffering from the rare health issue.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Lancet.