Artificial human ear grown in lab

US scientists say they have moved a step closer to being able to grow a complete human ear from a patient's cells. In a new development in tissue engineering, they have grown a human-like ear from animal tissue.

The ear has the flexibility of a real ear, say researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. The technique may one day be used to help people with missing or deformed outer ears, they believe.

Tissue engineering is a growing field in medical science, where substitute organs are made in the laboratory in the hope of using them to replace damaged ones. Read more >>