Scientists Grow Tear gland in a Lab

Dutch researchers have created a miniature version of the Tear gland in the lab. Those human tear glands are capable of crying.The scientists were looking to develop a technology that was the first step that created the inner lining of the gut. This replaces itself every five days. They took a tiny piece of gut tissue filled with stem cells and fed it proteins. These proteins are called growth factors to stimulate cell growth, expecting the stem cells to rapidly proliferate.

Hans Clevers, group leader at the Hubrecht Institute for developmental biology and stem cell research and at the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology. Said that those stem cells created a mini-organ, it is very small and it had all different cells in the gut.

The researchers created a gut in 2009. Researchers have created mini versions called organoids of the liver, pancreas, bladder, and more. They even started working on reptiles and are successfully growing snake venom glands.

Firstly researchers created a Tear gland of mice and then they have moved to human tissue. Suspended in a gel, the tiny piece of donated human tissue was given a cocktail of growth factors. After a week, the researchers broke it up into small pieces and fed it with growth factors to create several mini-glands.

Tear gland play an important role in human beings. They produce a thin layer of liquid that sheaths the cornea, lubricating the surface of the eye, protecting it from irritants and infections, and supplying nutrients. The glands are also responsible for manufacturing tears, whether due to physical provocation. In other cases, the brain instructs the tear glands to weep.