Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, a professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia University, has solved how to grow new bones in the anatomical shape of the original. He and his team converted bone material scaffolding into living tissue by placing it in a similar-shaped chamber, and added human stem cells extracted from bone marrow or liposuctioned fat. The bioreactor chamber then fed oxygen, growth hormones, and nutrients to the bone.
Another team at the University of Michigan plans to recreate jaw bones within the human body itself.
More info at New York Times Article: Replacement Bones, Grown to Order in the Lab
