7/18/2011 PERMALINK
Scientists fab new nano material that solves a major difficulty in stem cell replication. Scientists at the Universities of Glasgow and Southampton have discovered a new method for culturing adult stem cells that promises to speed the use of stem cell for reversing the effects of aging and disease. The research found a new nanoscale plastic that can cheaply and easily solve a problem that has hindered stem cells therapy development. Currently, when adult stem cells are harvested from a patient, they are cultured in the lab to increase the initial yield of cells and create a batch of sufficient volume to kick-start the process of cellular regeneration when they are reintroduced back into the patient. The process of culturing is made more difficult by spontaneous stem cell differentiation, where stem cells grown on standard plastic tissue culture surfaces do not expand to create new stem cells but instead create other cells which are of no use in therapy. Currently, stem cell must be immersed in chemical solutions to increase the overall yield of stem cells but these are limited in their effectiveness. The new nanopatterned surface is designed to offer a method of stem cell expansion which is much easier to manufacture and use than anything currently available. Created by an injection-moulding process similar to that which is used to manufacture Blu-ray discs, the surface is covered with 120-nanometre pits which the researchers have found is much more effective in allowing stem cells to grow and spread whilst retaining their stem cell characteristics.