Drawn to Science: Mr. Dressup meets Stem Cell Research

This video reminds me of Mr. Dressup, the long-running (29 years!) CBC children's program, and a segment during the show when Mr. Dressup (aka Ernie Coombs) would turn a blank canvas into an amazing drawing in minutes right before your eyes. I remember being so entertained and amazed at how a few simple lines and shapes could be combined to bring an image to fruition. I think that same concept of simplicity makes the stem cell video an engaging and concise way for scientists to share and explain their research to pretty much anyone.

Biology & Engineering go together like Peanut Butter & Jelly

Trojans by Atlas Genius

"Tissue engineering - defined as the application of principles and methods of engineering and life sciences for the understanding of the structure and function of healthy tissues and pathologies, and the development of new biological substitutes for the repair or regeneration of tissues and organs - is an emerging multidisciplinary field of science, combining principles of biology and engineering to develop viable substitutes that restore and maintain the function of human tissues."

Fernando Lucas Primo & Antonio Claudio Tedesco - Nanomedicine April 2013, Vol.8, No.4, p.513-515

There are currently 3 areas of tissue engineering with applications to regenerative medicine:

1. In vitro (in the lab) growth and development of 3-dimensional tissues and implants from cell cultures to repair damaged body parts, study physiological processes (like how a heart beats) or diseases (like cancer) in a controlled environment, and even to investigate the action of drugs and other therapies before clinical use.
2. Injectable or implantable therapies involving molecules and/or biocompatible systems (e.g. stem cells) which induce and aid the body's ability to repair and regenerate tissues and organs.
3. Development of prosthetics and other devices out of biocompatible materials to replace/treat injuries or damaged/aging organs.

Cool beans! It will be particularly interesting to see how nanotechnology and the miniaturization of computing  add to this tissue engineering sandwich, allowing us to monitor and control biological processes in real time within our own bodies to prevent diseases and aging from occurring in the first place.
Aubrey de Grey, a British researcher on aging, has compared the human body to a car, in that just as cars require maintenance to continue performing efficiently, so too do people. Tissue engineering offers the opportunity not only to keep that '65 Shelby Mustang in running condition, but to upgrade it on the fly to its more potent 2013 version.