What’s next?

Scientists are already able to reproduce human skin by using stem cells from the epidermis – the outside layer of skin – but research has shown that it is also possible to grow tissue from stem cells, which can be used to help repair human organs.

In February 2021, scientists at the

University of Cambridge pioneered the technique, creating ‘organoids’ – which have similar properties to whole organs, but on a smaller scale – and they were used to repair damaged bile ducts in a human liver.

This development could be the first step towards producing entirely lab-grown human organs and body parts.