London, April 10 : Scottish scientists have made a breakthrough in organ transplantation by successfully growing kidneys in a laboratory.

The development could help tackle the tragic shortage of organs for transplant, reports the Scotsman.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh created the organs by manipulating stem cells – early cells that are the building blocks of the body – to form the structure of a kidney.

They then managed to create kidneys that measure just half a centimetre in length – the same size as a kidney in a foetus, which they hope will be able to grow to maturity after being transplanted into patients'' bodies.

The kidneys were grown in the laboratory using a combination of cells from amniotic fluid – the fluid that surrounds all babies in the womb – and animal foetal cells.

The technique holds out the prospect of scientists being able to collect amniotic fluid at birth to be stored until needed at a later date if a patient develops kidney disease.

The patient''s own amniotic fluid cells can then be used as the base for creating a new kidney.

Using the patient''s own cells will, in theory, also end the problem of rejection that arises when an organ from a deceased donor is used.

The Edinburgh researchers are at the forefront of a global attempt to use stem cells culled from amniotic fluid to create new human kidneys.

The study will be presented at the Edinburgh Science Festival later this month. (ANI)