BioCoder #8

Chapter 3. Open Source Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine

Daniel Modulevsky,^a,b Charles M. Cuerrier,^a,c and Andrew E. Pelling^{a, d}

In 1997, a striking image depicting a mouse with a human ear growing on its back rapidly became a viral sensation circulating the media around the world (Figure 3-1).^5,6 It was through the media that the “earmouse” quickly became associated with fears about Dr. Frankenstein-created laboratory monstrosities and fears about the limits of human experimentation and genetic engineering. In spite of the fears, the earmouse kindled many hopes about future possibilities in medicine. Unfortunately, the image of the earmouse has often been circulated without any context, which rapidly generates many false assumptions about the origin and intent of this animal experiment. In fact, the original research group led by Dr. Charles Vacanti at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, is often left unmentioned. What is significant about the earmouse model is that although it sparked much debate about genetic modification, it was not actually a genetically modified organism. Rather, the procedure to create the earmouse consisted of several key steps.³ First, an alginate cast of an ear from a three-year-old child was created. Then, using the cast as a mold, a synthetic biodegradable polymer (polyglycolic acid, or PGA) was shaped into an ear-like structure. At this point, cells naturally found in cartilage (chondrocytes) were isolated from slaughtered calfs and ...