[Jewelry making - Article 00339] - [Orchid] Grow your own Bone wedding rings

[brainnet]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Hi all,

    the project that grows your own bone wedding rings has a report out
    best Charles 

          Bone rings exchanged by couples 

          Couples are being given the opportunity to exchange jewellery
          made from samples of their bone grown in the laboratory. 

          Scientists obtain bone cells from wisdom teeth and then grow
          them on a "scaffold" material in the lab. 

          The efforts are part of a collaboration between scientists and
          artists aiming to learn how to craft complex shapes from bone
          tissue. 

          Examples are to go on display at an exhibition at Guy's and St
          Thomas' Hospital in London. 

          Harriet Harriss and Matt Harrison, one of five couples
          involved in the project, have just been presented with their
          rings made from their bone cells. 

          "I do think it's interesting that I've only been in contact
          with bone when it's been in my dinner," said Harriet, "So it's
          intriguing to have my own bone, my own matter objectified in
          this way and made into something precious and symbolic. 

          Her partner Matt told BBC News: "When you think about it for a
          while, it's like ivory but more ethical, and the material has
          never been part of Harriet, just grown from her code taken
          from her body. 

          He added: "Yes it's the reason why people are interested and
          why they have the 'yuck' factor but when you see the object
          and think about it, I don't think it is gross at all. It's
          quite clean and pure." 

          Bone scaffold 

          The scientists extracted the participants' wisdom teeth to get
          at a sliver of bone that attaches them to the jawbone. 

          They then dissolve the bone mineral and extract the bone cells
          to go into the lab. 

          These are fed with nutrients and grown on a "scaffold"
          material called bioglass, a special bioactive ceramic which
          mimics the structure of bone material. 

          The original plan was to attempt to take a biopsy from the
          volunteers, but the ethics and the risks of undergoing such a
          medical procedure were too great. 

          Eventually, the technique could be used to grow large bits of
          bone for people with cancer or who need bone replacements 

          "This will improve the welfare of the patient as you won't
          need to harvest bone from elsewhere in the body," explained Dr
          Ian Thompson, a research fellow in oral and maxillofacial
          surgery at King's College who is the scientist on the project. 

          "So if you have damaged a part of your jaw, you won't need to
          take a piece of the rib or somewhere else in the body to
          replace that bit of damaged bone we would simply grow that new
          piece in the laboratory and then implant it." 

          Dr Thompson says he thinks it will be used in clinical
          practice, but not in his lifetime. 

          Tobie Kerridge and Nikki Stott, the artists on the project,
          fit the bone into jewellery made of bone and silver, to a
          design agreed with the couples. 

          "I would get sent photographs of the material as it was
          growing so in some sense I felt an emotional connection to the
          process," said Harriet. 

          "I am intrigued by how, for many people what is in their
          bodies is a source of distress or discomfort for them. 

          "To take something that is from myself and make it into
          something precious is a lovely thing and means quite a lot to
          me." 

          Examples of biojewellery can be seen at an exhibition in the
          atrium of Guy's Hospital, London, from 7 December until 14
          February 2007 

          http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6215702.stm
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________