A Recipe for Regeneration

Regrowing body parts has only recently become a medical reality, and it's having a profound impact on the care patient's receive, and their long-term prospects for recovery. Dr. Anthony Atala is at the forefront of research, heading up the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. He was inspired to develop new techniques for organ regeneration by his work as a pediatrician, where he was disappointed by the century-old techniques that were still in use. Here he describes what he was up against, and how he goes about creating a new organ from original tissue.