In 2020 a PhD student at UC Santa Barbara and her adviser faced a lab shortage during the pandemic. They built a replacement: an algae-based synthetic gel to support mammary epithelial cells, the cells that form milk ducts.
Their results, published in Science Advances, show the gel can support normal mammary gland tissue. The team can change the gel's mechanical strength and its biochemistry to direct how cells grow. This approach helps scientists study how the physical environment affects cell behaviour and could one day help grow complex tissues from patient cells.
Difficult words
- shortage — situation when there is not enough of something
- pandemic — a disease outbreak that spreads across many countries
- algae-based — made from tiny water plants or their parts
- epithelial — tissue type that lines organs and surfaces
- mammary — related to the breast or milk making organ
- biochemistry — study of chemical processes in living things
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Discussion questions
- Why was a replacement for the lab useful during the pandemic?
- How could changing the gel help scientists study cells?
- Would you be interested in research that grows tissues from patient cells? Why or why not?
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