Artificial rabbit penis first step in reproducing human organs

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Updated November 11, 2009 09:18:26

The rabbit is probably the last animal you'd think would need help with breeding, but help is on the way, nonetheless. Researchers in the US have effectively engineered artificial penises in rabbits using the animals' own cells. One in three artificially enhanced rabbits has gone on to father babies. The researchers say the most obvious benefit of the technique is the potential to help men with damaged organs but there's also hope the method can be adapted to reproduce other complex organs in the human body.

Presenter: Ashley Hall
Speaker: Dr. Anthony Atala, Director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest and Dr Stan Wisniewski, former president of the Urological Society of Australasia and New Zealand

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