Since the first artificial kidney was developed in the 1940s, scientists have continued to engineer life-saving and research field-transforming artificial organs, devices, and tissues. In this article, learn about the different types of artificial organs that exist, new artificial organs in development, and how scientists create them for research and disease treatment.
Artificial organs are bioengineered devices or tissues that scientists create and integrate into the human body to replace, duplicate, or augment functional, naturally occurring organs.1 They pose a solution to organ donor shortages, and can also be used as medical training tools.2
Based on the materials researchers use to produce them, artificial organs are divided into three main classes. Mechanical artificial organs are made exclusively of inanimate polymers such as plastics and metals; biomechanical organs involve both living materials such as cells and inanimate materials; and biological or bioartificial organs can be made of living cells and biodegradable ...
