Laboratory-grown vaginas were successfully implanted in four teenage girls, a Wake Forest research team reported.
The vaginal organs, engineered from the patients' own cells, could potentially be applied to women with vagina cancer or injuries, authors note.
"This pilot study is the first to demonstrate that vaginal organs can be constructed in the lab and used successfully in humans," Dr. Anthony Atala, director of Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine, said in a statement.
"This may represent a new option for patients who require vaginal reconstructive surgeries. In addition, this study is one more example of how regenerative medicine strategies can be applied to a variety of tissues and organs."
Born with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, a rare genetic condition in which the vagina and uterus are underdeveloped or absent, these girls were first-time human recipients of the laboratory-grown vaginal organs.
Participants were between the ages of 13 and 18 at the time of the surgeries, which were performed in Mexico City between June 2005 and October 2008. Follow-up appointments eight years later showed that their vaginas are functioning naturally, including normal sexual function, desire and pain-free intercourse.
"Tissue biopsies, MRI scans and internal exams using magnification all showed that the engineered vaginas were similar in makeup and function to native tissue," Atala said.
Scientists created the organs using epithelial and muscle cell biopsies from the young girls' genitals. The cells were expanded and then sewn into a vagina-like shape tailored to each patient's anatomy. These "scaffolds" were implanted in the body, where nerves and blood vessels began to form around it. Eventually, vaginal tissue replaced the engineered organ.
Atala and his team say the complications rate for a procedure this intricate can reach as high as 75 percent, but a larger study could provide insight into its safety and effectiveness, as well as allow surgeons more clinical experience.
