科学家用干细胞创造出人类的肾脏

The artificial organs were created in a laboratory using human amniotic fluid and animal foetal cells.
人工器官可以利用人类的羊水和动物的胚胎细胞在实验室创造出来。

They are currently half a centimetre in length - the same size as kidneys found in an unborn baby.
它们如今只有0.5厘米长——跟未出生婴儿的肾脏一样大。

Scientists at Edinburgh University hope they will grow into full-size organs when transplanted into a human.
爱丁斯堡大学的科学家希望它们植入人体后能长成正常的器官。

The breakthrough could lead to patients creating their own replacement organs without the risk of rejection, a common complication in transplant procedures.
此项突破会促使病人创造出自己的替代器官，而且不会有排斥的风险，这在移植过程中是一种常见的并发症。

Physiologist Jamie Davies, a professor of experimental anatomy at Edinburgh University, said: ''It sounds a bit science fiction-like but it's not.
爱丁斯堡大学试验解剖学教授生理学家Jamie Davies说：“这听起来有点像科幻小说，但是它不是。”

''The idea is to start with human stem cells and end up with a functioning organ.
“该构思是以人类干细胞开始，以器官的正常运作而结束。”

''We have made pretty good progress with that. We can make something that has the complexity of a normal, foetal kidney.''
“我们在这方面已经取得相当大的进步。我们可以创造一个跟正常婴儿的肾脏一样复杂的器官。”

The research team hopes that doctors will eventually be able to collect amniotic fluid, which surrounds the growing embryo in the womb, when a baby is born.
研究小组希望，当一个婴儿出生时，医生最终能够收集子宫周围成长中胚胎的羊水。

This will then be stored by scientists in case that person develops kidney disease later in life. The fluid can then be used to create a matching kidney.
这将由科学家储存起来，以防他在以后患上肾脏疾病。这些羊水可以用来创造一个匹配的肾脏。

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