http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01dfkgd

QuoteAt the Texas Heart Institute Dr Doris Taylor has created a beating human heart in a jar using adult stem cells and a pig's heart - the technique may one day replace transplants.

So, this is great progress and can be adapted to other uses.
they only need to mimic this process with other structures such as vagina, ovaries etc, or penis, testicles etc.
genetics might be a bit trickier, having to guide the stem cells to become the right type of cells... or they might just become the correct cells like the ones in the video that just become cardiac tissue.

It is indeed a giant leap forward.

Sounds like xenotransplantation. In other words, structurally, it's pig's vagina or penis you're transplanting, albeit made immunologically compatible to the receiver.

Quote from: Nicolette on August 03, 2013, 04:00:19 AM
Sounds like xenotransplantation. In other words, structurally, it's pig's vagina or penis you're transplanting, albeit made immunologically compatible to the donor.

I was more thinking along the lines of 3d printing to get the right structure.
The video only shows the basics, the program actually said a lot more.
what they do is they wash out the original cells with their genetic material, using detergent. they then seed the structure that remains with the patients cells. the cells detect somehow what type of new cell to become and change into that.