The Top 5 Benefits of Artificial Organs

The increased occurrence of some conditions which require the replacement of a part of a body in humans is the main reason for the development of artificial organs. The most common of these conditions include kidney failure, heart failure, hearing problems, decreased immunity in the body due to defect thymus, infertility in women and paralysis (Pal, 2014). The main purpose being to ensure there is no imminent loss of life whilst at the same time increasing the patient’s capability to maintain self-care or the improvements of the patient’s social life. Artificial organs, therefore, are the man made organs which can be integrated into humans to reinstate natural organs so as to augment or duplicate the specific functions in order for the patient to assume normal life as quick as possible. In our discussion we shall focus on some examples of the artificial organs that have been made and applied to restore normal functioning of humans and their importance. 

Some of the artificial organs that have been used in restoring normal functions in patients include artificial pancreases, hearts, livers, thymuses, tracheas, ovaries, lungs, ears, corpora carvenosa, brains, bladders, limbs and eyes (Pal, 2014). 

Artificial Limbs 

Application of artificial limbs is meant to restore the normal functioning of the amputees. Cases of loss of limbs particularly hands or legs due to accidents or due to domestic violence affect one’s life negatively. The inability of not conducting normal functions as they used to due to the loss of a hand or a leg may cause psychological or emotional disturbances which might result into depressions and other complications associated with increased stress levels. The efforts by different organizations to ensure that there are improvements or new advancements in terms of artificial limb development require the application of new technologies. For instance, the use of carbon fiber ensures that the newly made artificial limbs are lighter but still strong. Also, the artificial limbs need to look more realistic and the applications of additional materials have ensured that that happens. Normally, for a limb to function normally there must be a transmission of a nerve impulse. The latest technological advancements have seen the development of limbs with the capability of responding to stimuli change just like the normal ones because of the transmissions of nerve impulses. That is possible through the use of electrodes which are located in the nervous tissue and the body may be taught on how to control the prosthesis. The technology has been applied not only in humans but also in animals. 

Figure 1 : An artificial hand. 

The bionic legs that are usually used by those people that have had one of their legs removed and also by amputees who experience a challenge arising from a lack of nervous connections with their body. That makes the process of adopting or using these bionic legs a bit challenging for them. The creation of artificial legs which can be controlled by the nervous system with the help of brain processes is a major breakthrough that may end the sufferings of the amputees (Cheng & Lu, 2012). 

Artificial Brain 

The brain is the control and processing center of all the physiological processes of the body. Any injury or loss of functionality to any part of the body can cause adverse effects including the paralysis of neurotransmitters. For instance, the development of neural prostheses that can function just like motor neurons to restore brain functionality can be of help in treating brain injuries. The use of artificial brains, therefore, promotes the restoration of normal functioning of the brain especially when the person is suffering from conditions like Parkinson’s disease, treatment of drug resistant depressions and epilepsy. 

Figure 2 : A picture of an artificial brain. 

An example of an occasion where the artificial brain has been created includes in Austria where scientists were able to create a brain which shared characteristics with that of few weeks old fetuses. These brains are small sized and aren't growing due to absence of blood supply but once that challenge is resolved, the brains may be grown and be used to study different neurological disorders that are currently afflicting human beings. 

Artificial Ear 

The inability to hear can be a challenge in humans, therefore, cases of deafness ought to be resolved through the application of the cochlear implant. These implants allow one to have a sense of sound through the use of a microphone which can be placed behind the ear. The signal is then sent to a series of electrodes which are located on the cochlea, stimulating cochlear nerve impulse transmission. That can allow the deaf or those persons who have challenges of hearing to have the opportunity of hearing and therefore, can go or conduct normal functions without stress (Cheng and Lu, 2012). 

Figure 3: A picture of an artificial ear. 

The large and big flaps making up the structure of the outer ear are known as the pinnae. They are made up of cartilage, which is the main constituent of their formation. Using 3D printers, scientists are now able to print the ears. Given that the cells of cows and rats can produce collagen, they are able to have the collagen necessary for the process of making the ear. Using a mold of the human ear which has been made using 3D printers, they are able to make artificial ears (Wang et al, 2012). 

Nose with the Sense of Smelling Diseases 

Imagine having a nose that can smell the presence of diseases! People won't get sick as they may have the power to avoid contracting infectious diseases. For instance, the University of Illinois is working on developing a nose that may be able to recognize the presence of bacteria just by recognizing their smell. That way physicians may be able to quickly identify a particular infection and administer appropriate drugs that may help the patients recover from their bacterial infections. 

Figure 4 : A picture of the artificial nose. 

Artificial Eye 

When someone loses their ability to see or their sight, signals that are transmitted between the brain and the photo-receptors get lost. The part of the eye that is responsible for the procession of the information sent from the photo-receptors to the brain is the retina. That function of the retina is terminated and thus, no information is sent to the brain. Weill Cornell Medical College scientists have come up with artificial retina possessing chips which possess the ability of converting electronic signals into light. 

Figure 5: Artificial Eye 

Poor sight or inability to see completely is disadvantageous and may make one not to live a normal life as they must depend on someone for directions. The use of the digital camera; shown in figure 5, which is composed of an unidirectional electronic edge, is placed on the retina or the optic nerve to help with information processing and nerve impulse transmissions. With the camera the person is able to recognize brightness and the different colors and this increases conceptual abilities. The complexity of the eye is however a major challenge and therefore creating a fully functional artificial eye is a challenge (Cheng and Lu, 2012). However, with the advancements in computer science the issue of complexity may be tackled and a fully functional eye may be created. 

Artificial Heart 

The heart is a very crucial part of the body that ensures that the oxygenated blood is pumped and reaches each part of the body. Cases of any malfunction of the cardiovascular system may be life threatening. In cases where heart transplantation fails, the artificial heart can be used to permanently replace the normal heart. Heart failure may result to death. For instance, SynCardia providers have made available fully functional artificial hearts as shown in figure 6, which can be obtained by those patients who have developed conditions where the all the aorta valves and the ventricles fail to function. Therefore, the use of pacemakers or the defibrillator is unnecessary. The longest period that a patient was supported by the SynCardian artificial heart was four years. Indicating how the artificial heart can be of help in prolonging the life of a patient. The application of 3D printing has been of great importance in developing the artificial heart (Nevens & Laleman, 2012). 

Figure 6: Artificial Heart 

Artificial Liver 

The liver serves a critical role in the body including the excretion of drugs, hormones and cholesterol, metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, enzyme activations and the storage of vitamins, minerals and glycogen. A failure for the liver means that all these functions won’t be affected and that may cause serious effects in the body which may even cause death. It is, therefore, important for the physicians to use artificial livers in cases of liver failure. For instance, HepaLife, an organization that deals with the development of artificial liver has managed to come up with an artificial liver which may be used to treat liver failure through the use of stem cells. 

Figure 7 : A picture of an artificial liver. 

Artificial Ovaries 

Cases of women infertility have been the reason for marriage break ups. Men once they discover that their women can’t give birth may abandon them and look for other wives. The use of chemotherapy in managing cancer in women has been the leading cause of oocyte damage making these women unable to give birth or enter into early menopause. The development of the artificial human ovary by the Brown University, using the 3D technology may help in restoring the fertility of such women. The artificial ovaries can be used for in vitro maturation and development of the oocytes and also in studying and testing the effects of the dangerous toxins on the maturation of the ovaries (folliculogenesis). 

Figure 8: Artificial ovaries. 

Artificial Lung 

Mechanical ventilators are useful as they assist the patients with breathing difficulties to do so for a short period of time. They however may result into lung destruction if overused. The McGowan Institute has been working on many different devices that may help in the oxygenation of blood before it reaches the lungs. For instance, the respiratory assist lung: shown in figure 9, that has been created is worn externally, and it helps in passing the blood through the gaseous exchange fibers. The respiratory assist lung is used during the critical care emergencies like in the treatment of battlefield wounds and trauma (Nevens & Laleman, 2012). 

Figure 9 : Artificial Lung 

Artificial Pancreas 

The pancreas is important for producing insulin in the human body. Diabetic patients are forced to make use of insulin so as to manage their sugar levels. The process of injecting oneself with insulin on a daily basis is a difficult situation. Artificial insulin has been made and when used it makes the lives of diabetic patients much easier due to its ability to automatically pump insulin into the blood. The device which is more or less acts like an insulin pump has the capacity to adjust automatically to the changing levels of glucose in the blood. 

Artificial blood vessels 

It is usually important to have a replacement of the blood vessels through the use of another vessel extracted from another body or through the use of artificial vascular vessels or prostheses. Scientists have come up with an artificial blood vessel obtained from or made from a special elastomer substance or material, with best mechanical properties. Normally, three elements are needed for the development and the construction of the artificial vessel. These elements include the cells, the naturing environment and the structural scaffold (Wang, Feng, Zhao, Xiao, Lu, Zhang, & Guo, 2012). The scaffold form the basis of a non-permanent skeleton which may be used in supporting the new growing tissue. It also offers the shape up to the time when these cells begin producing their own extracellular matrix. Most of the scaffolds are usually made of biodegradable polymers and collagen matrices. Tubular mandrel can also be used as a supporting material in vitro. It should be removed when the implantation process is about to be conducted in a specific host. Fibroblasts, endothelial cells, smooth muscles are then seeded on the surface of the supporting medium or the scaffold and cultured up to the time when a cellularized vessel having an the best mechanical properties is made or created (Badylak,Weiss, Caplan & Macchiarini, 2012). 

Fingers That Store Digital Files 

Finnish programmer Jalava has developed a prosthetic finger 2 GB digital storage capability. The finger can directly be inserted into the computer and can be removed at will from the hand. He is currently working on creating wireless connectivity of the finger (Pal, 2014). 

Conclusion 

As discussed above, artificial organs can have a variety of uses and they impact the life of a human being positively. Those people with different challenges including brain injuries, infertility in women and the disabled or those unable to walk can have the reason to smile given that the application of these manmade organs can restore the normal functionality. For instance if one was unable to walk, they can do so through the use of artificial legs and if they are suffering from poor sight or total blindness, the use of artificial eyes can be of great help. 

The ability to make use of different tissue engineering techniques to come up with an autologous vascular grafts or any other human body organ for surgical purposes and reconstruction has become clinical reality. 

References 

Badylak, S. F., Weiss, D. J., Caplan, A., & Macchiarini, P. (2012). Engineered whole organs and complex tissues. The Lancet , 379 (9819), 943-952. 

Cheng, A. A., & Lu, T. K. (2012). Synthetic biology: an emerging engineering discipline. Annual review of biomedical engineering , 14 , 155-178. 

Nevens, F., & Laleman, W. (2012). Artificial liver support devices as treatment option for liver failure. Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology , 26 (1), 17-26. 

Pal, S. (2014). Design of artificial human joints & organs . Springer US, 20-89. 

Wang, H., Feng, Y., Zhao, H., Xiao, R., Lu, J., Zhang, L., & Guo, J. (2012). Electrospun hemocompatible PU/gelatin-heparin nanofibrous bilayer scaffolds as potential artificial blood vessels. Macromolecular research , 20 (4), 347-350.