Saturday, July 16, 2022Updated Friday, July 15, 2022 at 2:17:25 p.m.A new system based on nanotechnology could lead to new treatments for degenerative bone diseases.The system consists of nanometer strands of iron that bend in response to magnetic fields.Bone-forming stem cells grown on a mesh of these nanowires are subjected to special conditions, including dealing with movement of the substrate.These conditions, somewhat comparable to having to do intense physical exercise in a gym, make the stem cells transform into mature bone much faster than is usual with other culture conditions.With the new system, the differentiation protocol lasts only a few days instead of a few weeks.This promising breakthrough is the brainchild of scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia.Jasmeen Merzaban's team tested the bone-producing potential of their nanowire scaffold, both with and without magnetic signals.To do this, they placed the tiny strands — each about the size of the tail-like appendage some bacteria have — in an evenly spaced grid, then layered bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells on top.The researchers found that the addition of a low-frequency magnetic field dramatically accelerated the bone development process.Genetic markers of bone development could be detected after two days of incubation with mechanical stimulation.Under the microscope, the researchers were also able to see how the mesenchymal stem cells moved into bone cells at an accelerated rate.A cell grown on the nanowire scaffold.(Image: © 2022 KAUST, Hay Hwang)The team plans to test their system in mouse models of degenerative bone diseases, hoping that stem cell-seeded nanowire scaffolds can be safely implanted into injury sites and promote tissue repair.An externally applied magnetic field would be used to speed up the healing process.Merzaban and his colleagues present the details of their latest advances in this line of research in the Journal of Nanobiotechnology, under the title "Modulated nanowire scaffold for highly efficient differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells".(Source: NCYT from Amazings)Copyright © 1996-2022 Amazings® / NCYT® |(Noticiasdelaciencia.com / Amazings.com).All rights reserved.Legal Deposit B-47398-2009, ISSN 2013-6714 - Amazings and NCYT are registered trademarks.Noticiasdelaciencia.com and Amazings.com are the official websites of Amazings.All texts and graphics are the property of their authors.Reproduction is permitted only if credit to the source (NCYT Amazings) and a dofollow link to the original news are included.Except where otherwise noted, this article has been translated, adapted, and supplemented by the Amazings® / NCYT® team.Write your email and we will send you a link to write a new password.