Human muscle tissue that FLEXES grown in lab

The study was led by biomedical engineers at Duke University They used cells that were beyond stem cells, but not yet muscle tissue These cells were put into a form of 3D scaffolding filled with a gel This gel helped the fibres to form and align like typical muscle fibres During tests, the fibres contracted in response to electrical stimuli They were also found to have functional signalling pathways in the nerves This is the first time lab-grown muscles have reacted in this way

By Victoria Woollaston for MailOnline

Published: 11:36 EST, 14 January 2015 | Updated: 09:05 EST, 15 January 2015

For the first time, researchers have grown a muscle that moves and works just like fibres found in a living human body.

Made from human cells, the lab-grown artificial muscle tissue responded to electrical pulses during tests, and reacted to drug treatments in the same way a hospital patient would.

Experts now hope the tissue could be used to develop personalised treatments and drugs for patients suffering from muscular disorders.

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For the first time, researchers have grown a muscle that moves and works just like fibres found in the human the body. Made from human cells, the lab-grown artificial muscle tissue responded to electrical pulses (pictured), as well as drug treatments in the same way a hospital patient would

The muscle could also be used to study diseases, and be used in place of human drug trials.

The study was led by Nenad Bursac, associate professor of biomedical engineering at Duke University, and Lauran Madden, a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Bursac's laboratory.

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Human muscle tissue that FLEXES grown in lab