maybe this has already been posted, but I thought it was interesting. maybe this technology could benefit the IS/TG community the same way HRT has.
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL3069953820070530?pageNumber=1Italian doctor builds new, more natural vagina
"So far, surgeons have been able to correct the condition by reconstructing a vagina out of grafted skin or from intestinal tissue, but the surgery is highly invasive, lengthy and painful. And it takes a long time to grow a normal mucosal wall.
Such women, if they have healthy ovaries, have been able to achieve pregnancy by artificial insemination but would then need a surrogate mother to carry the fertilized eggs and give birth.
"What we do is to take a little biopsy of 0.5 cm from the place the vagina should be, " Marchese said. They used an enzyme to break down the tissue and then let the immature cells, called stem cells, generate new, mucosal tissue on their own.
It took about 15 days to get a thick enough layer to transplant into the patients, Marchese said."
http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/12_03/tissue_engineering.shtmlTissue Engineering Opens the Door to Replacement Organs
"Last year Atala published studies showing that when cultured cells from rabbit vaginas were seeded onto a polymer scaffold and then implanted into mice, the cells formed all the tissue layers found in a normal vagina. The cells contract and can be stimulated electrically, much like normal vaginal tissue.
Other ambitious projects are also in the works. For example, an artificial uterus and an artificial vagina are being tested in rabbits, and the researchers are also testing how rabbits fare when equipped with a functional bioartificial penis. "
