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Scientists Light A Path For New Nerve Cells
Toronto ON - Mar 24, 2004 Scientists at the University of Toronto are taking regenerative medicine to a new dimension with a process for guiding nerve cells that could someday help reconnect severed nerve endings. Molly Shoichet, a professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the Institute for Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), has devised a new method that helps guide cell migration and adhesion. "We're very interested in using this system for biomedical applications and regenerative medicine, specifically for guiding nerve cells," says Shoichet, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Tissue Engineering. In the study, Shoichet and doctoral student Ying Luo combined a gel-like substance called agarose with compounds having "photolabile" properties that change chemically when exposed to light. When they directed laser light at the gel, its chemical composition changed, creating a "channel" through the gel. Although not a physical channel, the interaction created a "growth-friendly" chemical pathway through the agarose. Luo then placed neural cells at the opening of the channels. She and Shoichet found that the cells migrate into and through the channels, filling the pathways rather than clinging to the periphery. "Our findings have important implications for guiding where cells go and providing a greater surface area for the neural stimuli to be transmitted," she says. Shoichet adds that it is not yet known whether this will lead to stronger signals passing through regenerated nerves. "This is the first example of doing 3-D patterning with this type of gel material and is applicable to transparent materials," says Shoichet. While previous techniques have created three-dimensional gel structures, they involved a time-consuming layering process. The study, which appears in the March 21 advanced online publication of the journal Nature Materials, was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, an Ontario Graduate Scholarship and a Connaught Fellowship. Nicolle Wahl is a news services officer with the department of public affairs. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links University of Toronto SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Space Medicine Technology and Systems
Genomic Sequences Processed In Minutes, Rather Than Weeks
Richland WA (SPX) Jun 22, 2005A new computational tool developed at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is speeding up our understanding of the machinery of life - bringing us one step closer to curing diseases, finding safer ways to clean the environment and protecting the country against biological threats. |
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