Elastin

Dr. Gregory and his team hope to develop elastin tissue for all kinds of replacements: skin, stomachs, intestines, arteries and eventually entire body parts.

Medical experts say the only possible negative repercussion of using laboratory-produced elastin to repair tissue, is that it could cause inflammation or calcification.

At the Oregon Medical Laser Center in the western city of Portland, a team of scientists is working on building tissue from proteins found in the human body. Led by cardiologist Kenton Gregory, the researchers are creating biocompatible tissues made of a substance called elastin, a protein that is produced naturally in the body.

One of the areas where Dr. Gregory hopes to use elastin is in the heart. He wants to replace metal stents, which are wire mesh tubes used to unblock arteries, with stents made from elastin.

Our stomachs produce an enzyme specifically designed to break down elastin, a type of protein found in meat and nowhere else.