Scientists seek funds to grow lung tissue in the lab

Two Cambridge University scientists have launched a crowdfunding campaign to help develop their vision to build lung tissue in the lab. They believe the technology using stem cells could prove significant in combating lung cancer.

In a campaign supported by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), Dr Michaela Frye and Dr Ferda Oeztuerk-Winder are seeking to raise 75k on Indiegogo.

The money will cover the costs of growing and maintaining the lung tissue over the course of a year. Dr Frye said: Its no easy job, it takes researcher time and the careful construction of a bioreactor a smart piece of kit that creates the perfect conditions for growth.

The scientists have spent years studying cancer and felt it was time to tackle the biggest global cancer killer.

Dr Frye said: Lung cancer is highly aggressive and survival rates have remained stubbornly low over the past few decades. Our progress against it has not been fast enough. We want to change that.

But its no easy task; the lung is a complex organ and we struggle to see the full picture. Lung cancer is intelligent and to beat it we need to learn more about how it grows, how it develops and how it becomes resistant to treatments.

To gain a better understanding we are approaching the disease from a new angle. We recently revealed a type of cell in the lung called a stem cell. It has the ability to develop into many different types of cell found in the lung.

We want to grow these stem cells into a piece of 3D lung tissue in an instrument called a bioreactor. By using a bioreactor, we can create the perfect conditions to grow human lung tissue outside of the body. This process will give a 3D model to study what happens when lung cancer develops.

No cell acts alone. Cells communicate with each other all the time. Cells grown in 3D will give us a much clearer picture than those grown in a Petri dish. So we are aiming to shift the focus from the dish to actual lung tissue and introduce cancer cells to understand how they interact with the healthy lung cells.

By pledging towards this research backers will be supporting a groundbreaking new approach in the battle against cancer. Rewards are being offered as a token of the duos appreciation.You can pledge your support now athttps://www.indiegogo.com/projects/growing-3d-lung-tissue-in-the-lab-to-beat-cancer

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Scientists seek funds to grow lung tissue in the lab