Scientists claim breakthrough with healing pad that can repair organs

 A penny-sized pad that can regrow damaged organs and heal serious wounds within a few days has been created by scientists.

The device uses nanochips, electrical circuits so small they measure billionths of a metre, to re-programme skin cells which then generate any type of cell necessary for medical treatment.

The non-invasive procedure takes less than a second and was found to restore the function of damaged blood vessels within days.

The technique is known as tissue nanotransfection (TNT). An small electric current fires DNA into skin cells, converting them into the specific building block of any part of the body, even organs such as the heart. The procedure promises to transform the chances of patients in need of complex reconstructive surgery, as well as those whose organs are ageing prematurely.

The US researchers say it could even be used against neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. They believe it will be possible to reprogramme skin cells to harvest brain cells in a peripheral part of the body, such as the arm, which can then be injected into the brain.

The team at Ohio State University tested TNT on pigs and mice, with a reported success rate of 98 per cent. In one experiment, blood flow in the injured leg of a mouse was restored in less than a week after the pad reprogrammed skin cells to create vascular cells. After two weeks, the leg was substantially healed. Researchers plan to start human trials next year.

“We can convert skin cells into elements of any organ with just one touch,” said Dr Chandan Sen, who led the study, published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.