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Scientists are already able to replace many worn-out or missing body parts with new ones. But two-thirds of a person?

Growing a human organ is a bit like baking a layer cake, says Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Let’s say the “cake” we want is a kidney. After harvesting cells from the patient’s kidney and coaxing them to multiply—mixing up the cake batter—Atala’s team bastes those cells onto a biodegradable scaffold, one painstaking layer at a time. “Once there’s the right amount,” he says, “we put it in an oven-like device that has the same conditions as the human body.” The kidney “bakes” inside the bioreactor for a couple of weeks, where it’s also exercised. Then it’s ready for implant. Eventually, the scaffold melts away, leaving the new organ.

A donor kidney was the first organ to be successfully transplanted into a patient, in 1954. Five decades later, we’re building new ones from scratch—growing them on scaffolds or printing them with modified desktop printers that shoot cells instead of ink. About 14 years ago, Atala’s team implanted bioengineered bladders into patients and, he says, “they’ve lasted all these years.” He and other scientists are moulding jumbles of cells into heart valves, ears, stomachs and skin. They’re building advanced prosthetics, including bionic hands and legs, which mimic natural function and can even be controlled by our minds. More and more people will live their lives with these artificial parts integrated into their bodies. ...