Immortality?

A recent article on CNN medical has my mind speculating full time. The article concerned a research lab that had taken a rats heart, stripped it of all cellular material leaving a cellular matrix behind, then injected the matrix with cells from the rat's heart which then divided, grew and the heart started to beat again. Now there are all kinds of difficulties, for example they need to figure out how to install blood vessels and nerve endings to recreate the actual heart, but if they can achieve this step they can certainly figure out the rest.

Just think of the possibilities. Taking an organ from a deceased person, stripping that organ down, rebuilding it and transplanting it. If you used cells from the host organism there may be no rejection issues and you could resume a normal life with your immune system intact.

What about cancer, diabetes, congestive heart failure. Replace the organ with a good one. If cancer hasn't metastasized you might effect a cure and reduce or eliminate the risk of recurrence. What does that mean for gene replacement for people predisposed to breast cancer, colon cancer or even Alzheimer's.

A thousand years in the future there may be clinics where every 150 years or so you enter the clinic for a period of time and have your entire body rebuilt. Immortal, could be.

Think about the impact on organized religion. We would become one with God. If we were created in God's image would that not be possible? I wish I were going to be around the hear the debate that is going to take place as we progress towards that possibility. After all, once you've mastered immortality the universe is a piece of cake.