CARNAL NATION

Experimental research with rabbits may be paving the way for medical breakthroughs to address erectile dysfunction. A study out of North Carolina found that rabbits with damaged penises could regain sexual functioning through the implantation of penile tissue grown in the lab. Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center's Institute for Regenerative Medicine removed erectile tissue smooth muscle and blood-vessel cells from male rabbits and allowed them to develop in the laboratory test tubes. The new penile tissue was surgically implanted in the rabbits’ penises resulting in new blood-vessel formation within one month.

Tests of blood vessels in the rabbits who received the reengineered tissue revealed that they were similar to blood vessels in healthy erectile tissue. When the males were integrated with female rabbits, researchers found presence of sperm in 8 of the 12 females’ vaginas. One third of the females in the study became pregnant by males with reconstructed penises. The findings suggest that a similar procedure may be possible in humans.

"Further studies are required, of course, but our results are encouraging and suggest that the technology has considerable potential for patients who need penile reconstruction," explains Anthony Atala, director of the institute. “Our hope is that patients with congenital abnormalities, penile cancer, traumatic injury and some cases of erectile dysfunction will benefit from this technology in the future.”

The study is published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.