Article: Artificial parts; replacing flesh and bone, machine-made implants are transforming victims of disease and injury.

The dream of a bionic body is fast becoming a reality--and it's mostly plastic. Doctors can replace the heart, pancreas, kidneys, ears, limbs, blood vessels and hip joints with synthetic devices.

"In certain areas, artifical organs will provide the best treatment," says Dr. Fred Shapiro, president of the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs. "We're not there yet, but these things are all doable."

Pancreas

At the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, researchers hope to provide diabetics with an implantable artificial pancreas within five years. Undergoing tests is a "biohybrid" organ, consisting of live cells from an ...

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