Scientists are growing (v.培植) human hearts in laboratories (n.實驗室), offering (v.帶來) hope for millions of cardiac (adj.心臟病的) patients. American (adj.美國的) researchers (n.研究人員) believe the artificial (adj.人造的) organs (n.器官) could start beating within weeks.
      The experiment is a major step towards the first 'grow-your-own' heart, and could pave (v.鋪設) the way for livers (n.肝臟), lungs (n.肺臟) or kidneys (n.腎臟) to be made to order (adj.（度身）訂造的).
      The organs were created by removing (v.去除) muscle cells from donor (n.捐贈者) organs to leave behind (v.留下) tough hearts of connective (adj.結締的) tissue (n.組織). Researchers then injected (v.注射) stem (n.幹) cells which multiplied (v.分裂) and grew around the structure (n.架構), eventually (adv.最終) turning into (v.變成) healthy heart cells.
      Dr Doris Taylor (n.泰勒), an expert in regenerative (adj.再生的) medicine at the University of Minnesota (n.明尼蘇達) in Minneapolis (n.（美國）明尼亞波里斯), said: "There are many hurdles (n.難關) to overcome (v.克服) to generate (v.製成) a fully functioning (adj.正常運作的) heart, but my prediction (n.預計) is that it may one day be possible to grow entire organs for transplant (n.移植)."
      If new hearts could be made using a patient's own stem cells, it is less likely they would be rejected (v.排斥).
      (Daily Mail, April 4)

      科學家正在實驗室內培植人類心臟，為數以百萬計的心臟病患者帶來希望。美國研究人員相信，這些人造器官在幾個星期內便會開始跳動。
      這項實驗是重大一步，讓人類首次“培植自己的”心臟，並可能為未來度身訂造肝臟、肺臟、腎臟等創造了有利條件。
      製造器官的方法，首先是從捐贈者器官中去除肌肉細胞，留下強韌的心臟結締組織。然後，研究人員把幹細胞注射其中，讓它們在原有架構的周圍分裂和生長，最終變成健康的心臟細胞。
      美國明尼亞波里斯明尼蘇達大學的再生醫學專家泰勒醫生說：“要製成完全正常運作的心臟，會有很多難關要克服。但我預計，也許有朝一日可以培植出整個器官作移植之用。”
      假若可利用病人自己的幹細胞製造新心臟，排斥的風險便會較低。
      （英國《每日郵報》，四月四日）