In a research carried out at the Wake Forest University, scientists were able to replace damaged penile erectile tissue in rabbits, by growing new tissue in the laboratory and implanting it, thereby restoring full functionality. Although application of the same to humans is something that seems too farsighted as of now, the lab success in animals has definitely given scientists a new hope and something on work.

Senior author of the study and Director of Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University, shared, "We were able to show the tissue was able to integrate and function in the long term, which means we can start planning clinical applications [in humans]. Our hope is to be able to treat patients with many conditions, including congenital abnormalities of the penis, traumatic injuries, penile cancer and severe cases of erectile dysfunction that don't benefit from drug treatments".

Although the findings need to be strengthened via further research and study, these are being considered much valuable in treating one of the most distressing medical problems. As of now, there is no way to replace the damaged human penile tissues. Various surgeries have been tired innumerable times, but these could not restore the natural erectile function.

The interesting study and its findings have been detailed in the online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published on November 9.